Thanks for your open mind and interest in firearms. In your price range I would suggest a Hi-Point brand pistol. They are ugly, heavy and cheap. However, they are extremely reliable and the company has the best customer service in the business. There is a no-questions-asked lifetime guarantee on all parts of there firearms and their staff is helpfull and freindly.(I sound like an ad) You would have the choice of 9mm, .40S&W and .45. If all you are interested in is stopping power, I would suggest the .45 caliber as it delivers the most energy to the target. 9mm is a fairly common, thus cheap, round and you can fit about 60% more bullets into the same size magazine. .40 S&W gives a good balance of capacity vs energy delivered, thats why most police departments in the U.S. use the .40.
People who own firearms generally hate the hi-point brand because of how cheap it is. Everyone who owns one or has shot one will tell you that although its cheap and ugly, its a great pistol.
If you are open to spending a bit more I would suggest a Smith and Wesson Model 9. They are really great guns and you can pick up a used one for about 300$ at a pawn shop or gun show.
Other than that, I suggest looking up your local shooting ranges and calling them to see if they rent guns out. It usually only costs about 8 bucks+ ammo to rent a pistol for some range time. Its a great way to "try before you buy". As an added bonus, if you find a rental that you shoot great with and you really like, the range will usually sell you the rental at a discounted price.
For home protection I would STRONGLY suggest a 20 gauge shotgun(you can pick up a quality one for 200$) loaded with birdshot. Birdshot is small and light and has much less energy after going through walls. Any of the above rounds will go through a bad guy, through a wall and possibly into a loved one. Birdshot will NOT exit the other side of the bad guy and will not cause as serious an injury to others in the house because of how fast it loses energy. The bad guy will actually be incapacitated faster due to the massive shock of a close range shotgun blast. On top of all that, just the sound of a shotgun chambering a round is usually enough to make the bad guy think," I'm getting the &^%$ out of here before I have to see whoever is holding that." Because you have family, I would also suggest a shotgun mounted flashlight to help properly identify what you are shooting at.
[edit on 4-2-2008 by Lotiki]
