I have played for a few years and got some stuff to help you out.
Firstly, if you have friends, then see if you can use their guns, i don't do that anymore though, im the guy that lends the guns! It's great because if you have reliable friends who keep their batteries charged and their stuff together, you really dont need a gun of your own, because you are there for the fun right? Also idk what you mean by renting from the range, if there's a store that does rentals sure, but i had reliable friends back when i started.
Now the only things you'll be needing are a gun, its mags, bb's, a cleaning rod, and a battery with charger, thats all you need. Some people like to dress in full ACU's and camo, they make themselves look like they came straight from the rangers, all sorts of wingdings on their uniform and stuff, im not one for cosplay but if you want to do that sure, but i'd invest in the primary gun before accesories... (I think some people wear those big costumes just so the bb's hurt less, the wimps... No bb's dont hurt that bad, most AEG's only fire around 200-300 feet per second, and if you follow the rules and say that you got hit when you got hit, then you wont be hurt.)
Lastly the gun, there are many types, Gas (butane, green gas, and co2 canisters) which commonly powers an average grade sidearm, Spring (Pump guns, some bolt-action snipers i think, and cheaper), And electric (AEG's, battery powered, typically what you want if you do matches commonly). I always reccomend AEG's for their automatic fire, reliability, and user friendlieness (no smelly gases and leaks). You dont have to go over $200 to get the right gun for you, I dont know your price range but a gun i'd reccomend is this one:
http://www.airsoftpost.com/product_info.php?products_id=27598
I don't want to reccommend a billion diffrent guns, so i'll reccommend one that's perfect. Many people have tested it, and it's always been praised for its value. I've used this one alot when i started off and never had a problem with it. It also has room for plenty of attachments if you become Mr. Accessories. It already has a folding stock, which is exellent for close quarters. It also has mags that clip together, so you can do the dual mag thing from Black Ops, very useful. Overall it's a superb gun for the price. I also don't think you'll enjoy sniping, it's a niche few people fill in airsoft and i don't want you do be prone for an hour wishing you could just hit someone...
I hope you get all you can out of Airsoft! (And i hope this was a help too!)
