in "blue states" doing the same thing. There are a lot of liberal gun owners and I know some conservatives, mostly religious right types, who want to ban them all.
Should you buy one for self-defense? That's up to you, and not something to take up lightly. It is a harder question than, say, target competition or locavore hunting.

I don't think of corporations as "red" or "blue", they are all "green" first, and I don't mean environment. But then, I don't see "red" or "blue", I just see individuals, most of whom are "purple". What color are companies that aren't American? Most American cops carry guns that are either German or Austrian made. But if that is important to you, you can't go wrong with a union made Walther, Glock, or CZ.

Just learn the proper safety rules and follow them religiously. Read the owners manual. If you don't know anything about guns, find good instruction from someone who knows what they are talking about and or various You Tube videos. Regular range time is a good thing. Don't be the person who buys it and throws it in the sock drawer to be discovered by adult children decades later. That is your typical "buy back" gun.