Hello from Illinois

[Nightfall]

Hello,
My name is Nightfall. I live in Illinois.

~Nightfall 

[Dannyboy53]

Welcome from north Florida Nightfall, you have come to a good place to learn about firearms.

[John Galt]

Welcome to "The Files" Nightfall!  Come on in and enjoy!  This is a great place to learn about firearms!  I'll bet your boyfriend will be impressed with your advancing knowledge in no time!

[running-man]

Greetings from NM!  Glad to have you & hope you enjoy it here. 

For a first rifle, many will say start with a .22LR and work up from there as you get comfortable with shooting.   Pawn shops are awash with some pretty decent 22s that won't break the bank.  Maybe $75 to $200 depending on whether you go with a bolt action vs. a semi auto.  New .22 rifles from a sporting goods store will generally be double the price, but you also know that you're not inheriting someone else's problem gun (they pawned it for a reason right?)  

As you get more comfortable shooting, 99% of the members here will tell you about the value of having at least one SKS. 
Of course, one SKS, turns into 10 pretty quickly; it can happen to anyone!

Welcome aboard.

[carls sks]

hi young lady and welcome. good to have you here. 

[spongemonkey]

Hi and welcome from Louisiana!  I am new here also, but enjoying my time here.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Welcome aboard... 

I would say a 22lr rifle first to get used to sighting in on a target without worrying about recoil.  Then step up to an AR15, SKS, or AK... Primarily because the ammo is redily available and they are intermediate cartridges. 

[Dannyboy53]

Primarily because the ammo is redily available and they are intermediate cartridges.

It's probably the least expensive of the centerfire rifle/carbine cartridges, usually running around .21 to .24 cents per round depending on where you get it.

[agrace]

Welcome from Missouri

[Nightfall]

Thank you for welcoming me! I think I will like it here and learn a lot! I already have! Thank you so much!

[Phosphorus32]

Welcome from Washington State! I echo the others encouragement to start with a .22. An SKS is an excellent first rifle for a center fire cartridge. It's still the least expensive ($300-400 for a Chinese or Yugoslavian) semi-automatic rifle you can find and while it has significantly more recoil than a rifle chambered in 22lr, it's still quite manageable.