Lever action 30-30 made by Marlin. The model is 336w. It's about 350 dollars and will last a lifetime. Don't even need a scope.
Lever action guns are a good place to start and the "kick" will not be too much for any family member older than 12. I would also recommend a gun safety course of some kind.
Happy shooting!
Excellent! Thank you so much!
Also worth pointing out, 30/30 ammo is about the cheapest hunting ammo you can get (FMJ target stuff excepted) and you can get it from pretty much any rural gas station, hardware store, sporting goods store that sells any kind of ammo.
One question Seraphia, what part of the US are you in? the 30/30 is a great first gun but I do know some areas of the eastern and midwest US are too densely populated to use centerfire rifles. Shotguns only are allowed. You may want to double check your area if you can use rifles there. Otherwise ask away and there are many decent and inexpensive shotgun options as well.
Luke