We get a lot of people coming along who want to know what's best to get when starting out. For those of us who have been around for a while, it's sometimes difficult to avoid being sarcastic, due to the ubiquity of certain misapprehensions and bad ideas. To avoid repetition then, my two pen'orth is that, in this order, you should:
Read the Relevant Legal Information: Violent Crime Reduction Act, as it relates to us, here.
Buy Boots. If you are young I'd guess you're used to wearing trainers