While I totally agree with you that most women cannot shoot a 44 with any sort of accuracy, even with practice, I disagree entirely with the idea that you then get her a 22 pistol. Having shot lots of handguns and seen what they do, a 22 pistol is a pretty useless gun for home protection and will only piss off a bear. Sure, if you're a great shot and can fire in a tight grouping near a vital organ, you might be able to stop a home invader with one, but probably not. At the very least, home protection requires a 38 ... although that will also piss off a bear.

Being a small woman with small hands, I found semi-autos are too big for my hands ... until I found an old 45 that works for me. In the woods, I carry my mother's 357. That used to twist in my smaller hands, but I wrapped the handle with bicycle tape and now I'm a great shot with it. It still takes practice. These are my guns because I chose them and learned to use them. No, men should not choose guns for their wives.