Do Any of You Own a Gun?

[RitaMae1908]

I know here in TX they are talking about revising the Gun Laws (this was in the works before the very tragic events that took place at VT). Basically the law before was that you could protect your self/property if an intruder entered your home but as soon as they hit that front door if you shot them then you'd have some 'splaining to do... as I understand it the new changes will allow you to "defend" yourself/family anywhere on your property including the areas outside of your home.
I for one am wary of guns. I had a close friend who shot himself by accident in high school and that really affected my view on guns. I don't know if I could handle it if I took someone's life regardless of the situation. My honeydew says he gonna purchase one and take me to the shooting range after we get married. My Father was in the military but never kept guns in the house, that I know of!?
A male coworker and I had a conversation about this topic earlier this week and he said that if you do decide to carry a weapon, as a female, get something bigger than a 22 caliber weapon. He said that you might as well be throwing rocks at your attacker with a weapon that size unless you shoot them at close range. Now I don't know a lot about guns so someone please correct me if this statement is wrong???