Nothing wrong with the .38 if she gets a lot of range time. For greater accuracy and capacity she might want to look into a semi-auto 9mm or .40 cal (Springfield Armory XDM series), and range time.
For home defense, get a German Shepherd: great companionship and fear-inducing bark/look.
43 posted on 01/06/2013 10:03:14 PM PST by DTogo
(High time to bring back The Sons of Liberty !!)