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by LynnLeFey
Most guns will go a good long while (hundreds and hundreds of rounds) without needing to be cleaned. So you will need a cleaning kit, but if resources are super tight, you don't need it immediately.
But if you do hearing damage or eye damage, that's the end of that. So, for me, eye and ear come right after firearm and ammo. In fact, since we started renting before purchasing a firearm, they came first. And where we shot wouldn't even let you into the range without eyes and ears, but I had no interest in using 'loaners'. Ick. You don't have to be super fancy here, the roll up foam ear plugs are cheap, and a pair of safety glasses at a hardware store are like $5. Now, this isn't 'high speed' stuff, but will get you started.
As for locks.. I certainly agree, but most (maybe even ALL) new firearms come with locks. If you have children, then a safe to store the firearm in jumps up in priority. Still a good idea, even without kids.
I'm with the notion of getting a 'stealth' bag. No gun markings. I think our range bag is a duffle bag my hubby got at a library conference. You can probably find a used duffle bag of some sort at a local Goodwill or the like for $3-$5. Again, it might not be cool, but it will get you started.
Something no one mentioned, and it's a small but important addition is a Sharpie Marker. When you pull down your target, mark the range you're shooting at and date. When we were renting pistols for testing, we also wrote down which pistol was used for which group. This will give you a record with dates to show improvements in marksmanship.
Most of the stuff I mentioned is pretty darn inexpensive.