You don’t mention your state but since most states are now “Shall issue” states contact your local government to ask about status of your local law.
If it is a shall issue state ask for a list of hand gun instructors that have complied with the requirement for training.
Most states have a combination of class room and range requirements to fulfill both for safety and proficiency.
Then go to the local sports store and look over the hand guns and take the list of instructors with you. See if any of the instructors have either raves or hisses...
As far as model is concerned. Hand size makes a huge difference.
Revolver vs automatic..
Revolvers tend to be extremely reliable, are easy to load (except in an emergency unless you have a speed loader) , they are easy to clean, they come in a variety of sizes but you are limited by capacity. 6 shot is about as good as it gets. They also tend to be heavy.
Automatics are harder to clean, They come in a variety of sizes , you can get more rounds in a clip (sometimes up to 13 shots) but the clips tend to get to be a little hard to load for someone girly like me.
Automatics can bite when the slide flies back so it takes some getting used to.
The best gun is the one you have with you and that you can handle competently.
Aside from that, as a woman a 38 in a revolver feels comfortable and not too heavy to carry. In an automatic a .380 is a good size for a woman... They are relatively small in terms of dimension but have a fair sized slug.
They tend to fit in a front pants pocket without leaving too much of a print..If you have it in your purse it doesn’t feel like a bag of rocks.
Practice, practice, practice.
Thank you. Yes, I’m female.
I’d feel safer with something light and less powerful than I do now with nothing at all.
I’m in NY. Long guns, (shot guns) don’t require anything special in regulations but hand guns do. But I have a squeaky clean record, so there shouldn’t be any reason to be refused.