Everybody's Gotta Start Somewhere

As the resident "gun guy" at work, the most asked question by future pistoleros is "what is a good starter gun?", or "Ive been thinking about getting a gun, what do you think I should get?" There are as many answers to this as there are uninformed Democrats. See, it all depends on your size, what kind of shooting your gonna do, Is it for carry or recreation, things like that.
On the size issue, a small framed woman would be right at home with a Walther P-22, or a Smith mod 65 ladysmith in .38 special. On the other hand, a buddy of mine who stands at 6' 8" and weighs in at just about 385, well, a 20mm anti-aircraft gun might be a good place to start. I tell people to feel as many different models as you can, every hand is different and you need to have the ability to reach the trigger comfortably, manipulate all the controls with one hand, and hold it out to acquire a good sight picture without a huge strain on your arm. Which means, if your 5' 4", and 125 pounds, a Desert Eagle is not for you no matter how cool you thought The Matrix was. Bottom line, If you can't hold the gun with one hand, work the controls with the same hand, and shoot it straight all at the same time, its not the gun for you, and you might be asking for trouble.
What kind of shooting do you want to do? If you live in on of the 38 free states and your looking for a concealed carry weapon, I don't think an S&W 500 is for you. And on the other hand, The Charles Daly compact 1911 .45 acp won't make a very good hunting pistol. For plinkin, and just randomly wasting lead at the range, just about any full size service pistol is the way to go. (but if your looking for perfection, 1911 needs to be stamped somewhere on the slide, and the caliber needs to start with a 4, and end with a 5.) If your goin hunting for big 4 legged fuzzballs, any of S&W's or Rugers hand cannons would be quite appropriate. And for CCW, you can never go wrong with a compact 1911.
There are a lot of good trainer pistols out there too. I have a Ruger mod, 22/45 and man it shoots good. It's the Ruger mark III with the grip angle and feel to match the 1911. Now if your like me, you pick up new bad habits almost on a weekly basis, so having a good 1911 trainer pistol can help work through your issues. And I recommend this less than $300 gun to anyone who wants to shoot the real thing, but needs to learn how first. Heck, even fighter pilots learn in trainer planes. You don't think Maverick and Goose took flight for the first time in an F-14 do you?
Have Fun, shoot straight, and be safe.