Thanks again, everyone, for all of the feedback.  I took the First Steps Pistol Course and it was DEFINITELY worthwhile.  Afterwards, I decided to shoot a bunch of the 9mms I had already shot, and I definitely had a different experience with each gun now that I had some idea what I should be doing.  I ended up liking the VP9 the most during my most recent shoot around, so I think I'm going to go with that.  Now I just need to figure out what else I need to buy once I actually have the gun itself.

 

Also, I'm picking up my FID card and permit tomorrow, so it should be a good day!

 

Congrats!!! And you can't go wrong with the VP9...good luck!

Since you took the lesson (applause), you got a good start.

 

Good (not necessarily expensive) Safety glasses and hearing protection.  You only get one set of eyes and ears to last you a life time.

 

Everything else can be acquired as time and money allow.  And there is a lot of stuff.

A range bag

Cleaning Kit

Stapler/tape

Targets

Ammo

More Ammo

Extra Magazines

Magazine loader

etc.

 

Have fun, be safe.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It definitely seems like a good idea to get some basic instruction before making a final decision. Has anyone taken a class or lesson somewhere that they would recommend?

Contact JFoster99 here on the forum. he is an NRA instructor, and I took his Basic pistol class. Good guy, excellent instructor.

 

update: just read back and saw you already took the class. Good luck with your new gun once you get it.