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Step 1
Determine whether you are most comfortable with a handgun or a shotgun. I leave riffles out intentionally because a rifle is usually not considered to be a personal defense weapon. However that is not written in stone. In general, a handgun serves the purpose of self defense best for most people. The reason is its size and storability.
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Step 2
Select a caliber of weapon which will achieve stopping an attack against your person. (Not necessarily killing your assailent) On a practical level, you want to stop a potentially lethal attack against you and not necessarily kill your attacker. The law does not look kindly upon firing dozens of rounds into your attacker. You want to try and use the least rounds possible for the most effective outcome. Therefore, your choice of caliber should begin with the. 380 caliber going all the way up to the .45 caliber of handgun.
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Step 3
Determine whether you are most comfortable with a semi-automatci pistol or a revolver. If you are the type of person who is not willing to invest a significant amount of time in training, you should probably pick a revolver. Traditionally a revolver has the most simplistic and trouble-free design. On the other hand, a semi-automatic pistol offers perhaps a wider array of calibers and is more easily concealable (where concealed weapons license laws apply)
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Step 4
In today's world, a handgun is hands-down the weapon of choice for personal defense.
