Another consideration is to get a pellet pistol. They are inexpensive and cost next to nothing to feed. I enjoy using it in my garage to practice a bit when I can't get to the range. It would work well in a backyard too. I have several and enjoy starting new or nonshooters out with them. A cheap reddot sight can help a bit also. My favorite is a blowback sig x5. It has the same mechanics as my main pistol.

22lr conversion are nice for practice as all the controls are in the exact location as the full caliber versions. 1911s, Beretta 92s, cz75, sig classic line, and glock can all be used with one. S& W has a 22lr version of the m&p line.

For the main pistol just about any manufacturer will sell a good pistol. I suggest figuring out what features you want and what you don't want before diving in to the 100s out there. If you need an external manual safety, glock and xd are out. If you like metal frames the list narrows.