The big advantage of the 22 cal handgun is accuracy due to minimal recoil. Everyone's heard of the case of the South Carolina state trooper who shot a perp 6 times, 357 Magnum 158 gr hollow-point rounds, 5 hits center mass, afterwards the perp returned fire with a 22 cal NAA mousegun...hit the trooper in the heart, the trooper collapsed and died at the scene. Or how about the perp in Colorado Springs who shot 4 people in a bar and then 2 more at a convenience store with a 22 cal Ruger. All were knocked down instantly, 5 died immediately, one survived, but suffered amnesia. I can go on and on. Police tell me the shell casings they find most often at crime scenes are 22 cal.
If the young lady can shoot, with a 22 cal handgun she has a fighting chance.
For Christmas, surprise her with a Sig 238.
Women shoot the 238 really well.
For 20 years the sea was my home, always recall the sun going down, and my trusty friend, a 1911 pistol, strapped to my side.