I may buy a gun for when I volunteer at our local Democratic office. Seeking advice.

[Alea]

33. Glock 19 or small six shooter and a biometric pistol safe

that will fit in you desk drawer. If you have a gun store with an indoor range near you, they usually have different guns you can rent or test fire on their range, with their supervision to see what the best fit for you is. Having a gun knowledgeable friend go with you might be helpful. Safety nazi's will flame me but, a six shooter nor a glock have a safety to forget to disengage, which you will, if you ever have to use the gun for defense. Having a safety or not is a big issue with some people, but safeties don't make guns safe when someone "plays" with a gun. Safeties keep rifles from going off when the gun is leaning against the wall and falls over. I know, I know, there's more to it than that, but not much more.

As others have said, don't do it unless you are willing to practice for that moment you hope never comes. Also as others have said, don't tell anyone.

There's other guns out there that maybe be a better fit than the ones I mentioned. I'm a small female and my preference is a glock 19. I would be ok with a few others and would be ok with a revolver if I didn't want an automatic.

For the sake of argument, I'm not going to ague the safety, no safety argument in this thread. My personal opinion... if I carry a Colt 45 ACP, I want the safety. If I carry a Glock, which I do, I don't want the safety. If you get a gun with a safety, then practicing disengaging the safety is as important as any other part of your overall practice because in a high stress situation, an untrained person is likely to forget to disengage it.

I wish the world wasn't what it is, but it is.