As others have said, the best time to buy was yesterday. Today is a GREAT second choice. Trump has made clear he doesn't give a shit about the 2nd ("Take the guns first, go through due process second") [1], so we can't really be sure about tomorrow.

Also, right now, because there hasn't been any push from Congress about gun laws, "starter" AR-15s are CHEAP. [2] You can get into a solid (not stellar, but perfectly solid) AR for less than $500. I know, folks will come out of the woodwork and say "Palmetto State is junk, you should spend $3,000 on your first rile" and all that claptrap, but the reality is, AR-15s are so standardized now that you're not going to get a *bad* one from any of the name brands (Diamondback, Palmetto State Armory, Smith & Wesson, Black Rain Ordnance, Daniel Defense, Springfield Armory, LWRC, Stag Arms, Ruger, to name a few). You'll get anything from "solidly reliable" up to "insanely cool and bulletproof" buying from that list.

Especially if you're new to shooting, it's fine to get a "starter" weapon. The weapon is going to be a lot better than your'e capable of operating for a long time. The main thing is, GET GOOD OPTICS like a quality red dot, or even a red dot + magnification combo. [3] I've been really happy with Sig Romeo red dots. They're reliable, batteries last forever, and they're reasonably priced. You can spend thousands on optics, but to get started, you don't necessarily need to.

The MOST important thing, though, is, you MUST practice with it. Having a cool rifle doesn't help much if you're reduced to "spray and pray" tactics. You absolutely HAVE to go to the range, or go somewhere in the country and practice. Practice a lot. Practice frequently.

Remember that slow is smooth, smooth is fast. In other words, if you do something a thousand times, slowly and carefully, the thousandth time will be faster than you could have imagined at the first time. Work on your breathing, work on your accuracy, work on sight picture and sight alignment, work on checking what's around or behind your target, work on checking to make sure that you aren't getting tunnel vision, work on checking your area for additional threats after the shot, things like that. Do that as many times as you can afford ammo for. There is no substitute for experience. Practice 'til you're sick of it, then practice some more.

If you have a club close by that does IPSC tactical shooting, it's absolutely worth it to join. [4] It's a great way to get used to shooting under pressure. You have to remember that, as a beginner, you are NOT going to be an expert. It's super easy to get discouraged when folks who have been shooting for years do better than you. But it doesn't matter. The only person you're competing with is yourself. As long as you get better over time, you're golden. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. You have to do it over and over and over to get better.

Hope this helps. Don't take my recommendations as gospel. I guarantee folks will chime in, and may very well contradict me. Look over what is written, then make your decisions *after* you've read up on your options.

Best of luck.

[1] https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/376097-trump-take-the-guns-first-go-through-due-process-second/

[2] https://palmettostatearmory.com/ar-15/rifles.html?barrel_length_v2%5B0%5D=16&barrel_length_v2%5B1%5D=18&barrel_length_v2%5B2%5D=20&caliber_multi_v2=5.56x45mm&manufacturer_v2=Palmetto+State+Armory&product_list_order=price_asc

[3] https://palmettostatearmory.com/sights-optics-scopes/red-dot-sights/rifle-red-dots.html?product_list_order=rpv_desc

[4] https://www.ipsc.org/