I will be honest from the start here. I am 23 and for a very long time I have not agreed with owning a handgun. for any purpose. A year ago my roommate had a gun stuck in his face in a rough part of Pittsburgh, My aunt was mugged about 8 months back. I have been giving it a lot of thought since then and the shootings at VT this week have made my decision final. I know now that I want the ability to defend myself if I am ever (god forbid) put in that situation. I am currently a student at IUP (Indiana university of PA) and I want to know what steps I should take to A: learn how to properly handle a handgun and get some experience B: where to legally purchase and file for all permits and C: what type of handgun would you personally recommend to an individual such as myself who is looking primarily for defense, but would also like to maybe get involved in target sports. I have been around rifles for some of my life and know the basic rules around guns. any feedback is greatly appreciated. and also do any of you know a good place to find information about a concealed weapons permit in PA. It's not a decision I am ready to make yet. but i would like to read up on it. Thanks again guys your info will be a huge help to me.