As safety concerns over the Sig Sauer P320 handgun continue to mount, a growing number of police departments across the United States are rethinking their use of the popular semiautomatic firearm.
Released in 2014, Sig Sauer’s P320 model has become one of the most popular guns in America, with more than 2.5 million units sold. The P320 also has been the standard sidearm for the U.S. military since 2017.
But the firearm has been linked to a series of unintentional discharges.
The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission is now the latest to permanently ban the P320 from its training facilities. The agency offers training to police and correctional officers in the state.
The agency’s decision came after a four-month investigation prompted by an incident last year in which a police recruit’s P320 discharged while being drawn, injuring both an instructor and another recruit.
“The WSCJTC’s only concern in this process is preserving the safe learning and working environment for its recruits and instructors,” the agency’s report states.
This incident is part of a larger pattern of complaints from more than 100 people who have reported similar issues with the firearm since its release, with at least 80 injuries linked to accidental discharges, according to a 2023 joint investigation by The Trace, a news outlet dedicated to covering gun violence, and The Washington Post.
Following the 2023 investigation, Sig Sauer has faced lawsuits from at least 15 more plaintiffs, and new evidence has surfaced linking the firearm to at least one death and 20 additional injuries, The Trace reported in December.
Since at least 2017, several law enforcement agencies, including the Milwaukee Police Department, the Dallas Police Department and the SEPTA transit police in Philadelphia, as well as other agencies in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin, have pulled the P320 from their arsenals due to concerns over misfirings.
A Georgia jury in June found Sig Sauer liable for a defect in its P320 pistol, awarding $2.35 million to the plaintiff whose gun fired while holstered. The bullet tore through the plantiff’s right upper thigh and ripped out just above his knee, according to court records.
The verdict marked the first time a jury has ruled that the handgun was defectively designed, The Trace reported in June.
In November, a Philadelphia jury awarded $11 million to an Army veteran who was injured when his P320 discharged while in his pocket. Jurors concluded that Sig Sauer was liable for the veteran’s injury because the firearm did not have an external safety, like those used on Glocks and other pistols.
External safeties generally prevent a gun’s trigger from moving backward when dropped or when indirect pressure, such as from a holster, is applied.
An Oklahoma civilian in December also asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to revive his suit against Sig Sauer after his P320 discharged in 2018 while in a holster he was wearing.
In 2018 — a year after the U.S. Army announced its 10-year, $580 million contract with Sig Sauer — a U.S. Department of Defense report revealed that during testing, the military found the P320 could discharge without a trigger pull if dropped at certain angles. Sig Sauer in 2017 modified the gun’s trigger mechanism. The company also redesigned the civilian version of the P320 and offered owners of older models the opportunity to voluntarily return their guns for upgraded components.
Despite the rise in reported incidents, Sig Sauer has steadfastly maintained that the P320 is safe for use. The company has denied claims that the gun is defective and insists that the reported discharges are due to improper handling.
“The P320 is trusted by the U.S. Military, law enforcement professionals, and responsible citizens worldwide. SIG SAUER is extremely proud of our outstanding safety record and quality firearms,” Samantha Piatt, the company’s director of communications, said in a statement posted to its website last year.
