I think a lot of this argument hinges on use case.
For a lot of airsofters, a handgun is the thing you have strapped onto you in-game so you look tacticool that maybe gets a few prospecting shots fired when you've run out of ammo and can't be bothered trudging back to the safe zone to reload.
Maybe you channel your inner gaz and try quick-drawing instead of reloading a couple of times before learning that airsoft aint call of duty.
For that task you don't need peak reliability, and as much as I'm a big accuracy freak it's not exactly hard for most pistols accuracy to outmatch their wielders skill, at least for the 3 shots a day average demanded of them.