Have carried one for years. It works just fine. And yes it's safe to carry.
Here's the deal. They are not comfortable to shoot. They needed to be broke in before they could be relied on. Just like any other handgun.
But, not very many folks wanted to put the time and effort into them. Most that you will find have likely been shot fewer that 20 times, 5 by each of the 4 previous owners.
Mine will feed JHP's just fine. But, I've put hundreds of rounds through it. Now the trigger is a bit stiff, admittedly. However, a good smith can stone the contact surfaces and smooth and lighten it up nicely.
Oh, and most of the BS about them being so terrible comes from folks who are repeating what they have read on the web.