What you better do is take ownership of a firearm dead flat serious.
Learn how to handle it like it can kill your or someone else if handled wrong or accidentally. Because it can and it will. Understand that if you present a weapon in self defense that you have EVERY right to save your own life and protect your family but, also you are holding someone(s) else's lives, literally, in your hands. Once a bullet leaves your weapon, it has no conscience, no idea where it is supposed to go, what it is supposed to do nor does it care even a little bit what it runs into. You don't wanna be having these thoughts for the first time at 2 am, terrified.
You may well need to shoot to kill someone who is threatening you. You may well only need to whip it out. There may well be someone innocent on the other side of that wall or next door. That bullet does not care. YOU need to be in as much control of your weapon in some terrifying situation as you can. Train. Get comfortable handling it. Loading, unloading, deliberate controlled firing, cleaning, etc. Think about possible situations. Some drunk friend of your kids? Your own kid? Burglar? Rapist?
You can't be 'ready' for a sudden and shocking and terrifying life or death situation but, you can think about it, think it through. Better to know in your mind that you just may not need to pull the trigger than to have the mindset of just start blasting. Some clueless people are cool under shock and pressure. Some trained people crap their pants the first time and shoot themselves in the foot.
A firearm is only a tool but it is a damn effective one for what it was made to do.
) is take the Firearms Safety Training:
