People do it all the time. The 1911, Harley Davidson motorcycles, and Jeep Wranglers are iconic American products. All 3 have been highly problematic over the years, yet they continue to sell to people who want the illusion of owning an American icon.
But the problem with firearms is that there are no sources for reliability data, which I find ludicrous. I can find a few sources that confirm that Jeep Wranglers are unreliable and exactly what issues they tend to have.
With firearms, we have nothing but biased information and have to choose what to believe. My dad owns two Jeep Wranglers and I had one a couple of years ago. Neither of us had any issues with our vehicles (knock on wood) but we both subscribe to Consumer Reports and are well aware of their poor reputation. I had another friend that owned a Jeep and had major transmission and electrical issues. If it wasn't for independent data on reliability, I would think they are super reliable and he would think that they are the most unreliable vehicles ever made. That is how it currently is with firearms. I've never "owned" a 1911, but I carried one and was combat qualified with one in the US Navy. Never had an issue with it. Others have had lots of issues with a variety of 1911s.
But without an independent set of data showing exactly how many firearms of a certain brand or design are reported to have issues, it is still fairly subjective. At least we have the internet these days to get somewhat of an idea of how troublesome a certain firearm is.
But there are people in this very thread that swear 1911s are extremely reliable and trouble-free, and others who say they often have issues. Who to believe? It's all subjective without hard numbers, which just don't exist.
If I was ever to be for any kind of firearms "safety" legislation, it would be for manufacturers to be required to disclose the number and percentage of their firearms that require warranty work. We have the numbers and ratings for dishwashers, but not for a tool that we may have to depend on to save our lives and the lives of others? Ludicrous.