Even if you've grown up around guns all your life, if you've never fired a handgun, it would be a very good idea to take an NRA Basic Pistol class to make yourself comfortable with shooting pistols, and to get some ideas and direction as to what kind/caliber of pistol you might want for yourself.
There are a number of us on this board who are NRA Certified Basic Pistol Instructors, and if you want to post what city or general area you live in, someone here could probably help you identify an instructor for you.