I'd like to say that I am all for people buying cheap guns. I wish every new shooter could have an established shooter take them under their wing and steer them toward a well used revolver, or help them pick out any other used guns.
many new shooters are drawn to new because they don't have the knowledge of firearms to properly pick out a good one, and they fear that guns are like cars (they wear out relatively quickly, and a thousand problems could be hiding under the hood) Even the least well made car, when brand new, will run for 30,000 miles before developing a problem.
We of course know that a poorly made gun will have problems day one, and an old beater gun can run forever if it is well made and lubed up from time to time.
If anyone is to blame for new users choosing hi-points, it is US for not doing enough outreach.
Now, onto highpoint reliability. I never owned one, but I had a friend who owned one. It was junk and constantly failed to strip a round off the magazine.
However, I have another friend whose introductory gun was an accu-tek 380. You had to phyisally push up on the magazine to keep it in the gun, recoil would make it pop out.
Hi point is just one of many inexpensive handguns that aren't terribly well made.
However, the fact that hi points are flourishing is due to how secretive we gunners tend to be about our hobbies.
I am sure every hi point buyer you saw has a shooter in his circle of friends...the new buyer just doesn't know this.
At my place of work, there are people who are known to be car guys. Car ignorant folks have no problem identifying them, and there is no stigma attached to that hobby. Car ignorant folk have no problem asking the "Car Guys" about car problems or advice on what car to buy.
Our hobby is un-PC.
It should be just like the car guys...or the computer guys...or any other 'hobbiest' whose hobby gives him better knowledge of what is out there.
If you want to hate someone for all the trash hi-points being sold, hate the antigun media who made us pariahs.