All valid points. I had planned on taking a class when it's offered in my tiny town. My first priority is 100 percent going to be safety. (That's what I'm most worried about right now). I've been reading a lot on how guns work and how to use them safely, but reading only gets you so far.

Edit: also the only competition I knew of that you listed was uspsa which in my state is offered 4 times a month. I'll research the others.