Go with tried and true: bolt action single shot .22 LR
There are plenty of used and new examples, so selection is good.
The price is right, with most any of them being right at or just a shade over the C-note mark.
You get almost zero recoil, ammo is pretty cheap, and it's a great way to learn the basics.
Ditto the "start with a .22" mentality.
I read the first few pages of the sticky link. It seems to me the ones that start with a 9mm or 38 snubby are seldom beginners, or they are more imbedded in the gun culture than many true beginners. Our club sees about 60 new members a year, often first-timers. It's painful to watch men with their beginner wife/girlfriend that insist she start with his glock 40. I experienced a young woman who insisted she liked a .45, right up until we put one in her hands and she couldn't hit a torso target at 10 yards. We get a several 60+ age couples that realize they are targets of crime and seek home protection. Invariably, the wife can't rack the slide, can't hold the gun in recoil, and ends up afraid of it.
My daughter, now in mid 30's, shot a 22 while growing up. Her husband bought her a SCCY 9mm last year, and after the first mag she hated it. Too snappy and the grips cut into her hand. I took her to the range, we fired a bunch of guns. She eventually went home with my Bersa 380, and I kept her 9mm.