The gal obviously is NOT comfortable with the .38 snubby and I don’t blame her.
Everyone recommends that gun to women and they hate it, particularly the airweight.
Recoil is atrocious and accuracy is dubious at best.
The gal needs a shotgun for home defense.
Not in my experience. Mrs. Hugin loves my old Charter Arms Undercover. Though she grew up around guns, she is not a big gun person. She wants something small, lightweight that she can slip in her pocket, and she doesn't have to worry about whether there's a round in the chamber or releasing the safety. Nor is she worried about accuracy or noise. Self-denfense in the home would be at point blank range, and who cares about noise and recoil (although it's a lot less than a 12 ga would be) when your life is on the line?
BTW, I didn’t see anything in the post to suggest “The gal obviously is NOT comfortable with the .38 snubby”. In fact, it doesn’t even say it’s a snub nose. Anyway, it sounds to me like she went to the range, and a bunch of gun guys convinced her a 38 spcl was inadequate, and she needs a shotgun. The drawbacks of relying on a long gun inside your home have been gone into enough. I’ll just say, a shotgun is unsurpassed for stopping someone who is trying to break into your home, but it’s not ideal if someone is already inside. And unlike a small handgun, it’s not really practical to carry around on your property (eg. going to the mailbox, answering your door, etc.).