There is nothing "hard" about it at all. That said, I've seen seasoned 1911 veterans and beginners alike, fail to disengage the thumb safety as they cleared their holster, as well as failing to adequately depress the grip safety, under nothing more than the typical stress encountered during a training drill on the range. And while that's an easy enough problem to overcome on a range, it could be detrimental in real life. "On/Off" switches on defensive handguns stand a much greater chance of being a liability rather than an asset.