No. The show, C.O.P.S. sucks. they are nothing if they aren't a source of misinformation. that wasn't a design failure. that was an operator error that could be easily avoided with proper and routine practice. the very same event has saved more people than harmed them when a gun was snatched in a grapple and the attacker wasn't able to resolve the manual of arms for the firearm. clearly the shop owner in your scenario failed to do one of the primary things needed when choosing a firearm as a means of self-defense: PRACTICE with the firearm of your choice.
remember it was the mouthpiece officer chosen by the department-of-the-day who removed a Federal Nylclad round from a pistol during a no-knock entry of a home, walked up to the camera, and (while mugging) explained how it was designed to cut "through officer's body armor like a hot knife through butter." Bullocks! It was designed for range use to hold down airborne lead created by the heat and friction of discharge. it burns off (most, if not all) the nylon cladding (Nyl Clad) before it exits the bbl to reduce the amount of lead that is vaporized. several tests of the day showed it's penetration being less than many other similar rounds of the time.
C.O.P.S. is meant to desensitize the viewers to the actions of police forces that are being increasingly militarized. Thanks to that show, many people now see it as reasonable for an LEO to use extreme take-down techniques against citizens without any other justification than that they happened to be nearby when the cameras came on (including jamming people's faces into the sidewalk and using arm-bar holds). If a cop commands them to do something and, as a free-thinking citizen, they dare ask the obvious question, "Why?", that's all she wrote!
The above technical disinformation about ammo, the difference between semi-auto and full-auto firearms, implying how it's worse to have a firearm to defend yourself than not, and a litany of other issues are just a few examples of many.
>whew<
Now back to the revolver vs pistol issue. If I didn't say it earlier, then it was an oversite. I'll agree that for simplicity and an easier manual of arms, the revolver is the better choice. In either case, the new owner should be committed to routine and frequent practice. This instills proper safety practices (or should), increases skill levels, and nurtures a familiarity with the chosen firearm so that operation becomes reflexive (likle how to throttle down, clutch in, shift, clutch out, throttle up). The pistol tends to need a little more effort because of the lighter trigger pull, mechanical safeties, and loading/chambering of ammo.
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