There is no reason why the Shield will not hold up as well as any other similarly sized weapon. I believe it is all M&P in the important details. It does not have the interchangeable grip inserts, but who cares?

In addition, after 40+ years of shooting, I am not convinced that a "department approved weapons list" really means much. There are many factors that go into agency selection of weapons either for issue or for individual purchase, and only occasionally does real world performance intersect with budget and "political" or "publicity" issues.

The truth of the matter is that the Shield has not been out long enough to have the kind of track record you are looking for in this type of pistol. It is certainly promising, but the only way to compare is to ask again in 25 years as that is about how long Glock has been around.

If it makes a difference, all of the people I know who have the Shield have complete confidence and have not had any of the issues that are reported here with some regularity by a few.

So, is it a gamble? Yes. What are the odds of malfunction? Probably pretty low.

Good luck in making your decision.