Gun Control & RKBA

If I'm not able to take them to the range (where they can shoot a few different weapons and make a more-informed choice), I make the same points about weight, etc.

I tell them about the weight trade-off between carrying comfort and perceived recoil. It's intuitive to any shooter, but not necessarily something a non-shooter has given any thought. I also tell them:

About avoiding anything that doesn't comfortably fit their hand. Although I have pretty good sized hands for someone so small, in the greater scheme of things, they're still small hands. The true importance of fit is easier to get across once I also explain point shooting. It's easier to process when they realize that while correct ergos are critical to precise target shooting (competition-style), its actual importance in a defensive pistol is to make point shooting much more instinctive.

That a pistol with simpler operation is best to start with (and quite possibly stay with...and don't let my 1911 make them think otherwise). I also tend to suggest Glocks and other striker-fired pistols (as well as double-action revolvers when the pistol is strictly for home defense and the range).

And definitely about getting training. I was fortunate enough to get training for free (thanks, Dad...), but that it's worth paying for and is usually not very expensive.