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I do not recommend giving weapons to novices for defense unless you are convinced that she is willing and able to use it. Is she prepared to take a human life to protect her own?
If she has a CCW, she knows the legalities pertaining to the use of deadly force. There are a lot of threads here discussing CCW weapons and ammo, by way of background.
Unless she has the hand strength to readily manipulate a slide, I recommend that you consider a revolver for her.
The better .38 Special loads are almost as good as the 9mm, and much better than the .380, which is essentially a 9mm (-P).
If she is going to carry concealed, I would look for a good hammerless design, like the S&W 642. It also has the added convenience of being light enough that she will actually carry it. Most of the 9mms are pretty heavy, when loaded.
If she wants to be a pistolero and pack a higher capacity 9mm within your price range, the Glocks and Kel-Tecs can be had in pretty small, lightweight packages. I would not use the Glock if she is not going to use a holster. Without a manual safety, tossing it into a cluttered purse while locked and loaded is akin to handing it to a chimp. Something bad is going to happen eventually.
As far as the ammo goes, look for something with sufficient penetration to reach vital areas. I would not bet the farm on the Glasers anymore. In most cases, you are better off using the same load as the local or Fed LEOs, and it is easier to defend in court. Most likely, it will be a Federal, Winchester, or Remington JHP load.
HTH.
TR
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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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