Like everything else, it's a compromise.
If you go that route, understand the advantages and disadvantages, and work within them.
The advantage is that you have a firearm available to you. The disadvantage is that in the majority of cases where a self-defense handgun would be useful (i.e., where you have no useful degree of warning), you won't be able to get it into action fast enough to make a difference. Sometimes you will, though, so it's far from useless, and far better than being unarmed. If that's good enough for you, then go for it. Otherwise, figure out a way to carry on your belt.
