It's a considerable defensive round, especially due to the efforts of ammo makers to capitalize on the growing armed-citizen trend. It can be a handful in the pocket-pistols (Ruger LCP, Taurus TCP, Kel-Tec P3-AT, etc.), but it will be there when your .45 cannot be. Do your part to learn it, and you will be suitably armed for situations represented by more than 99 percent of random attacks on the law-abiding.
I trust it even more in a platform that is easier to shoot, offers a somewhat longer barrel (and sight radius), and a higher capacity. Such platforms include guns like the Bersa Thunder series, the new Ruger LC380, and the Beretta M85. But, there are many guns that size (and a few even smaller) that are chambered in 9x19mm, a round that is not only more potent, but more affordable and readily available.