For your first handgun, don’t even be thinking about home protection or conceal. Think in terms of becoming familiar with firearms, safety and practice. So for practice get a gun that uses .22 bullets for so you can afford to practice. Get a single action for safety. A Ruger revolver is a good first gun...
Good post.
I agree that his first handgun should be a .22. A Ruger Single-Six would be an excellent choice.
And practice. At least a box, once a week, for as long as it takes.