I have no idea where any rental places are around State College. Also how much does it cost to rent the guns?
It isn't much to rent guns and if you buy one from the range you probably won't have to pay for the rental.
I'm a Glock guy. I carry a G27 everyday and I can honestly say I trust my life with it. If you want something in 9mm I would suggest a G19,if you can find one. With the way ammo is nowadays 9mm is a good round, and anyways it is all about shot placement. Also 9 is cheap so you can practice more, if you can find any. Glocks are also very user friendly, you can break it down in about 5 seconds to clean. There are no external safeties to leave on, the only ones you need are your brain and finger. Whatever you get, make sure it is quality, you don't want that $150 swap meet special in your hand if shtf. Be safe
PS: go to youtube and look up glock torture test, it's what sold me