A good choice for you would be a Ruger or Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum revolver.
Revolvers do not jam. They do not have decocking levers or mechanical safeties to worry about in an arenaline-filled, life or death situation. They are simple and safe to operate, even for the untrained, and you can see whether or not they are loaded by visually observing the front of the cylinder. Another advantage to the revolver is that if you pull the trigger on a round with a defective primer and the gun fails to fire, you simply pull the trigger again to bring another round under the hammer. With a semi-automatic pistol, you must manually rack the slide to eject the dud round before the weapon can be brought into battery again.
The .357 Magnum is a highly effective round, with a proven track record for self defense. You also have the option of using .38 Special or .38 Special +p ammo for reduced recoil and affordable target practice. These are identical bullets, but loaded to lower pressure levels in a shorter casing and they are perfectly suitable for use in a .357 revolver. If you live in an apartment you can load up with Glaser Safety Slugs which are designed to avoid overpenetration thru drywall but are utterly devastating on a human target. These rounds are a poor choice to use in a semi-auto pistol because they are very expensive and they do not always function properly in a weapon which depends upon recoil to eject the spent casing....a handicap that the revolver does not share.
As far as laser sights go, Crimson Trace makes a quality laser sight that is built into the grip and will bolt right on to any Smith and Wesson J-frame revolver, and also the Ruger SP-101.
There is a tendency to dislike revolvers because they hold "only" 5 or 6 rounds and are slower to reload. Accuracy, safety, confidence and shot placement are more important than the ability to "spray and pray" in my opnion.
I own a number of guns, including rifles, shotguns and semi-auto high capacity pistols. I trust all of them; but in a small lockbox under my nightstand there lives a Smith and Wesson .357 revolver that will always be my first choice to grab when something goes "creak" in the night.