First off, I hope your a member of the NRA:
www.mynra.org second get yourself a nice 20 guage pump shot gun (Mossberg) for rabbits and squirrels. Rabbit and squirrel hunting is fun to start with. You can also use a .22 rifle for both but I'd use a shotgun first to bring up your hit probability as a beginning hunter, then as you get better and more comfortable use the rifle. Get a .22 Ruger 10/22 stainless steel rifle...unbeatable and there any many aftermarket parts to slick it up later if you want. Welcome to the forum, and don't be a stranger! :right: