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If it's just for home defense a pump action shotgun is suitable
Mossberg 500, 18-20 inch barrel
Won't cost much, doesn't need much maintenance
If you really want a semi .223 for some reason you can get a Ruger Mini-14
Is it a state law thing? Try to find some form of semi-automatic rifle in an intermediate cartridge. Rifle is definitely preferable to shotgun. Contrary to popular belief, most intermediate cartridges are significantly less likely to penetrate through walls and risk collateral damage than a shotgun or pistol.
I'll juts say that every time I go to the store, the shelves are pretty cleared out of everything except for 12 gauge shells.
Are you looking for something to run alot of rounds through to practice marksmanship/run drills & such?
Are you looking for something in an urban shit hits the fan environment?
Are you looking for something to hunt with?
There's alot of different platforms for alot of different purposes.
Do you expect this to be your only firearm? Or is it more of an entry into the world of guns?
Do you want something you could huck around for days on end? What kind of environments? Shooting long range?
I'm pretty strongly of the opinion that everyone's first gun should be a .22 long rifle. It's the perfect platform to build skills & comfort with. Cheap as hell, cheap as hell to run rounds through, quiet, little to no kickback - develop your skills & then add nasty recoil to deal with. Im completely in love with the Ruger 10/22 takedown - little semi auto 22 that splits into 2. Can stow it in a backpack easy. Magpul makes a cool ass stock where the barrel clicks into the butt when you break it down - so it's this teeny little thing, mega stowable. That's my bug out of choice. Can easily have hundreds & hundreds of rounds on hand at any time.
Alot about your choice has to do with you, your intentions, and your setting/expected setting.
The right answer is several, and several for your comrades too 😎
Rad.
Well a 22 checks most of those boxes, except the urban SHTF - they're kind of BB guns in comparison to modern military style rifles, you'd never want to be in a gunfight with a 22. Bullet drop is hilarious past like 100yds and the rounds just aren't going to do any kind of damage.
I like the mini-14 suggestion - you can buy simple kits to convert them to 22lr in under 1 minute - so you can run some cheap rounds through it regularly as practice. They make a "ranch" version that isn't all tact out - might be a good option.
Nothing wrong with a good ol fashioned shotgun. They seem kinda cheese but they're phenomenal if long distance isn't an issue. Rad too being able to select from such a wide range of shells based on whatever you need in a given day.
I don't know about "cheese," buckshot has killed a lot of deer, a lot of coyote, and a lot of people over the past century
Savage Arms has a bunch of solid, decently-priced bolt action rifles. You can find plenty chambered in something that will pack more of a punch than a .22, too.
One thing to consider is ammo availability. While you're looking at guns, it might be a good idea to swing by your local sporting goods store (or wherever you'd buy ammo) a few times to see what's generally available. I've seen .30-06 available pretty consistently where I am, but you might have a different experience.
Hi-Point carbines are affordable and pretty decent quality. They have some level of customizability, if that's something you're into, though it's mostly proprietary accessories.
In my state you don't have to have a permit to purchase. They kind of exist in that grey realm between a rifle and 'assault weapon'. Plus, they're chambered in pistol calibers. Standard mag is 10, iirc, but you can get 20-rd magazines if that's still available in your neck of the woods.
You can get them in 9mm or 45 acp. I recommend 9 for availability/affordability or 45 for 'stopping power'.
I think there are some .22 rifles you can find. A quick search yielded some scoped models that looked like they'd be mainly for hunting. An old roommate of mine had an "AR looking" rifle that shot .223, it was really smooth shooting but I forget the name of it.
Why are you unable to get an AR or AK variant? Cost, local laws, living situation, or something else?
How do you feel about bolt action? Back when I was shooting a lot more I remember mosin nagants being popular because of how cheap they were. Maybe something like that might be what you're looking for?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosin%E2%80%93Nagant
I was going to say that bolt and lever actions would probably be good and cheap if an AR isn't on the table. Nothing defeats body armor like a round meant for killing moose and grizzlies. Plus you can eat those if you had to.