I have decided to buy my first gun.

[Stiofan]

I'd suggest the OP try out a LCR, as well as the Smith J frames. Very lightweight, said to have a nice trigger pull although I've not shot one. I too only pocket carry with my LCP.

[texasnative46]

stove,

our "in house counsel" says that a GOOD civil (and perhaps prosecutable criminal ) case could be made against a person in MANY jurisdictions, whose purse (with pistol) is "snatched" & thereafter used to assault/kill/commit armed robbery/etc, as having "failed to exercise due care" to assure that his/her weapon was not used by a criminal OR "displayed depraved indifference to the consequences" of not using adequate measures to secure the weapon from theft.
(as i said, i'm NOT a lawyer. - are you? - if you aren't, neither of us has any TRUE knowledge of this subject.)

fyi, my daughter, when she decided to CCW didn't want A PISTOL; she wanted MINE. = so, i gave her my "lightly customized, pet MAK" & bought myself a Sig-Sauer P6.
fyi, both of us are pleased with our CCW choices.
(have you tried a P6?)

just my opinion. (btw, as i told someone else, i type to suit ME & NOBODY else.)

yours, TN46

[danhammondsr]

I am waiting for my concealed carry permit, and have been really wanting to buy a gun for myself. I have shot the ruger sp 101 and the ruger gp 100 and really liked them. I have weak hands and I can't do the slide on semi auto's and I can't handle much recoil due to hand surgery. So if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. Thank you..

The OP asked about handguns that might work for her, and the forum decided to turn this into an argument about the civil liabilities regarding holster purses.

Pinklady, you're already on the right track. Given what you describe as some challenges you have with hand strength, a good revolver is the way to go. The models you mention here would make excellent choices.

Some have mentioned the lightweight revolvers such as the Smith and Wesson Airweights and the Ruger LCR. You might consider shooting one, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that lightweight revolvers can HURT when you shoot them. I have a Rossi model 421 in .357 magnum. It will safely shoot any .38 Special loads including +P and +P+ as well as the .357 magnum loads. It's a steel framed revolver with a two inch barrel, often referred to as a snub-nose. It's much more pleasant to shoot than my best gun-buddy's S&W Airweight shooting .38 Specials. That S&W is downright unpleasant to shoot.

The lightwieghts are more pleasant to carry, but less pleasant to shoot.

Any gun you purchase with an eye toward carrying conceald needs to be one with which you will practice frequently. If it's too unpleasant to practice with frequently, you won't practice enough to be confident should the need ever arise to use it for real.

[stove]

I'm not an attorney but I work with them frequently and have discussed this topic, based on my own experience, which I shared earlier, and because I teach CCW classes.
Your counsel's advice makes perfect sense, especially for cops. LEOs can be held to a higher standard of care, as a trained professional, and departments are liable for a larger number of armed people. A department's risk is therefore higher than an individual's, and the professional's risk is greater than the non-professional's.
I don't even doubt that a private citizen could be sued, as you have stated--unfortunately that is the country we live in. I just don't see it as a likely enough scenario to justify that it is wrong for all people, all the time.
What ever method a person chooses: to carry or not, on/off body, all have downsides, upsides and varying degrees of risk. Others don't carry at all and I'm not one to argue that they should.
I've had students that couldn't shoot larger caliber guns because of arthritis, can't operate the slide of a semi-auto, that are confined to wheel chairs (where a holstered gun just isn't practical), nurses and doctors who often wear scrubs, fitness trainers who rarely wear anything but work out clothes -- you name it, everyone situation is different.
I'm not one to say: everyone should be armed, all the time, with a semi auto, high capacity pistol, of at least .40 caliber, in a secure holsters ... ad nauseam. Everything is a trade off, and everyone situation and choices are their own. Same as you, that's just my opinion.

[stove]

Dan spot on, will not reply if continued. I have problems dropping the everyone should do / not do x discussions.
Back on topic:
I recently had a guy who purchased an LCR with crimson trace grips for his wife to CCW prior to taking a class. After the class, he had a new carry piece, that he didn't look all to happy about shooting, and they were off to do some more shopping.
Steel framed, 5 shot revolver is an excellent choice if you can handle the weight and shoot it well. SP 101 mentioned in the OP is right on track.
If a semi-auto is more desirable, a tip up barrel .32, like the Beretta tom cat is light weight, low recoil and easier to reload under stress even though it packs less punch than a .38 or .357. Used to have a Taurus clone of the Tom Cat, in .22 LR, and it was a hoot to shoot.
,

[texasnative46]

Danhammondsr,

i really don't see anything wrong with what "stove" & i were discussing here, as "pinklady's" question had been answered on the very first page. nothing said after that page, imVho, added anything significant to her actual question.

in point of fact, as a new "CCW lady", she (and every other armed person) needs to think seriously about those issues.

just my opinion.

yours, TN46

[stove]

We did kinda high jack the thread, and what is interesting to me may not be to others. So, I'm happy to leave everyone to discuss the finer points of small framed revolvers