My wife was married to her CZ75B - until a few weeks ago when I happened across a very nice condition 586-1 with a 4" barrel (along with a few other guns, what a great week it was). She promptly declared, "Mine!", and it's been hers since. It's such a beautiful gun too with that blueing, it reminds me of a Python. The embarrassing part is she's already a better shot than me with it. I blame it on my being 10 years older, with 52 year old eyes. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. However...

All that being said, our shotgun is the goto gun for home-defense. If I'm not home, she can handle the shotgun fine by herself. If I am there, then she can back me up with a handgun.

Some time at the range with your wife shooting the bedside shotgun is a better recipe for home defense than any pistol can ever provide. You can't CCW a shotgun (well, I can't, and she can't) so a pistol must suffice for around town, but at home the clear choice is the shotgun, the king of home defense weapons.