I do NOT intend to DROP anyone with a handgun. I intend to make them stop attempting to harm me. Anyone throwing out such trash-talk is asking to be prosecuted.
The .25 ACP was never intended to be a service round. It's funny how, after nearly a century of protecting citizens, today we seem to think that it's ineffective.
In many cases, according to experts, the simple production of a gun into a scenario will stop aggressive action. Then, MOST crooks won't hang around to trade fire with anyone. If injured, they need medical attention, and hospitals are required by law to report them.
Note that, in the Armed Citizen columns of the NRA publications, there are many stories of people, armed with "less than effective", who somehow manage to run off, or kill, people attempting to harm them.
If the horror stories, or smug statements actually held any truth, one would never read about a .22 pistol, or a .25 ACP pistol, successfully defending a citizen.
Instead of insisting that the person describing his wife's abilities ignore her complaints and wishes, and buy "X" or "Y", perhaps we should try to work with what is presented. A .25 ACP Beretta is hardly a "junk gun". Perhaps she could be talked into a 3032 Tomcat, instead. The .32 ACP is capable of stopping people during war-time, on a battlefield. While it, once again, just doesn't seem to fit into chairborn commando's opinion of "good enough", that is hardly important.
If recoil is an issue, try having her hold, then shoot, a Colt Mustang, or the Sig P238. Both of these are locked-breech guns, and metal framed. They mitigate recoil nicely. They are also small enough for a less than strong set of wrists to handle.
The idea that 9x19 is the minimum "effective round" is nice, but really simplistic. If the shooter cannot handle the gun's recoil, size, and weight, they will not be accurate. Accuracy, not caliber, controls who walks away, and who is "dropped".