I am left-handed, but when I bought my first handgun, at age 21, it was a 1911, without an ambidextrous safety, so, I shot it right-handed. I wanted to handle the weapon safely, and to learn to use it with my thumb on top of the safety lever, while firing. I was happy with the results, so saw nothing wrong with the idea that I was shooting with the “wrong” hand. Being in Texas, in 1982 or 1983, however, I could not legally carry, so did not establish a right or left carry position.
The next step toward right-side carry happened when I started attending a police academy, in late 1983. I knew that I would be patrolling alone, in a patrol car, after completing field training, and I knew that my right hip would be far more accessible, while seated in the driver’s side of a patrol car. I was learning the long-stroke DA revolver trigger, from scratch, so, simply made it a point to learn with both hands. Because I naturally threw right handed, even though a lefty with detailed tasks and using small tools, the drawing of a heavy L-Frame revolver, from the then-mandated low-slung duty holster, was not unlike throwing. So, the right-hand draw did not feel unnatural. So, my right hip became my default primary handgun carry position. If/When carrying a second handgun, I have long tended to position it for a lefty draw.
Another reason I chose to carry on my right side, was because I had, originally, mistakenly thought that my right eye was dominant. There are some sloppy methods for determining eye dominance, and I believe that is how I mistakenly determined that I was right-eye dominant. By the time I realized my error, I was already comfortable with right-side carry, and right-handed shooting.
It became common for me to carry a second handgun, while on duty, as well as during personal time. In retirement, I have found myself shifting to left-side primary, as my right shoulder has less range of motion, especially on “bad days,” which affects the draw, and arthritis in my right thumb, hand, and wrist has affected the amount of training I can do with my right hand. Plus, nerve issues in my right thumb, ring finger, and little finger affect my ability to provide a firm, stable platform for reliable auto-pistol functioning. In 2021, at almost 60 years of age, I may finally start daily carrying “primary” on my “correct” left side, and perhaps not, necessarily, have a handgun on my right side. It will be a matter of conditioning my brain and nervous system to realize that the best weapon is now on the left side, to the point of unconscious competence.
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