Weapons Bias against left-handed people

a navy seals left-handed shooter

the vast majority of firearms designed right-handed shooters, operating handle, magazine release, or safety mechanisms set manipulation right hand, , fired cartridge cases ejected right. also, scopes , sights may mounted in such way require shooter place rifle against right shoulder. left-handed shooter must either purchase left-handed or ambidextrous firearm (which manufactured in smaller numbers , more expensive and/or harder obtain), shoot right-handed gun left-handed (which presents difficulties, such controls being improperly located left hand or hot shell cases being ejected towards shooter s body, eyes or down collar or right sleeve), or learn shoot right-handed (which may less comfortable or natural ). related issue ocular dominance, due left-handed people may wish shoot right-handed, , vice versa.

some modern firearms ambidextrous (e.g. fn p90 , heckler & koch p7), or can converted between right- , left-handed operation (e.g. heckler & koch g36 , steyr aug). bullpup rifles particularly problematic left-handers unless can reconfigured, since empty shells ejected straight shooter s face , cheek potentially causing injury, or otherwise designed ground ambidextrous use, way of complex ejection systems seen on fn f2000 , kel-tec rfb. british l85 assault rifle must fired right-handed, placing left-handed soldiers @ disadvantage. in contrast, steyr aug of modular design , ejection port , extractor can switched/replaced suit handedness of soldier operating it. m-16 , variants have fixed ejection port, being conventional (i.e. not bullpup) design ejection port forward of operator , hence able fired either-handed. circa 1985, introduction of m16a2 version, case deflector incorporated adjacent ejector port direct discarded shells in more forward direction, making rifle more left hand operator friendly. deflector not effective, however, ejected shell still stands chance of hitting left-handed shooter s cheek, in windy conditions.

lever action , pump action firearms present fewer difficulties left-handers bolt action weapons do. many weapons adjustable sights allow left-handed use, right eye dominant shooter necessary adjust. in fact, weapons adjust enough weapon not eject shells left-hander s eye.