New Sig P320 Lawsuit....

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I just read through the complaint and it's pretty damning. I have a P320RX which has been upgraded, but per the complaint the upgraded ones are having issues as well. I as going to put it up for sale but don't feel comfortable doing so now as I don't want to sell a gun that may injure or kill someone unintentionally.

I had mentioned in previous threads the issues I had with my P365's and P365Xl's. On one hand the cusotmer service manager I dealt with was doing his best to resolve the issues, on the other hand it seemed like every time we spoke his story changed in regards to why I was experiencing issues, but it was never their fault, even when they completey rebuilt my first P365 with redesigned parts. I couldn't get a straight answer from him why they redesigned the parts if there was no problem with the original ones. I won't say I'll never buy another Sig, but for now I won't consider one.
 
Without a video recording or a credible unbiased eye witness I am very skeptical to say the least and most likely we will never know exactly what really happened. Just because a firearm pistol allegedly fired inside a holster does not make it the fault of the pistol. Wrong holster, poorly designed holster, damaged/deformed holster, and material inside the holster such as clothing or strings/straps can cause a pistol to discharge. Claiming to have "a lot of experience with guns" is pretty meaningless too IMO and can lead to complacency and no one is immune from accidents. However history of problems with the P320 will work against SIG.

I am not saying this is the case with this individual BUT anyone who shoots them self with a P320, even negligently, probably has a good chance of getting a settlement from SIG if they claim their P320 "went off by itself".
 
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*This is straight from the actual lawsuit. It is more than just one guy. Also you have to take into consideration that Sig for business gain concealed the original issue. Sig management was willfully ignorant of the problem to escape direct liability. IMHO They changed the trigger on the Govt contract and did not change it on the commercial product until they had to settle a lawsuit publicly. They then only did a voluntary upgrade verse a real recall and declared declared that un-upgraded guns were still drop safe and could not fire on their own.*

E. Other Substantially Similar or Identical Defective Discharges of the P320.

62. Before it introduced the P320 into the stream of commerce in the United States in 2014, SIG was aware of defective discharges without a trigger pull, many of which pre-dated the December 2016 sale to Guay.

63. Upon information and belief, there have been many prior incidents of defective discharges involving the P320 that have discharged without the trigger being pulled (whether involving the P320 in its original configuration, or the re-designed or “upgraded” version). The P320 has defectively discharged (both while in battery and out-of-battery) while the weapon was merely being handled, moved, while it was being holstered or un-holstered, and when the weapon was accidentally dropped. 3 3 A pistol such as the P320 is in battery when it is ready to fire with the slide properly positioned in alignment with the frame over which it rests. An “out-of-battery” discharge occurs when the slide is not in proper alignment with the weapon’s frame. Photo shows a pistol in out-of-battery state. 23

64. For example, in February of 2016, a fully-holstered P320 discharged without a trigger pull inside a Roscommon, Michigan police officer’s vehicle when the officer moved to exit the vehicle during a snowstorm. The incident was captured on the officer’s body cam video (fn. 3 above) and shows that no object entered his holster at any time.

65. In 2016, the Surprise, Arizona, police department complained to SIG of two separate incidents of P320s firing without trigger pulls.

66. Despite outstanding discovery requests in a civil action against SIG regarding defects with the P320 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2018, Vadnais v. SIG Sauer, Inc., 1:18-cv-00540 (EDVA 2018), these three incidents described in Paragraphs 64 and 65 herein were not disclosed by SIG, until the last day of discovery.

67. In October of 2016, a P320 fired un-commanded on retired NYPD officer Thomas Frankenberry in South Carolina, severely injuring him. The spent casing did not eject.

68. In November of 2016, a P320 fired un-commanded on an officer in Holmes Beach, Florida, striking him in his leg.

69. In 2017, a sheriff’s deputy in Michigan accidentally discharged a SIG Sauer pistol, striking a schoolteacher in the neck.

70. On January 5, 2017, a P320 shot a Stamford SWAT team member in his left knee when the pistol fell from a distance of less than three feet to the ground while fully holstered, refuting SIG’s express representations that the weapon is drop safe, cannot fire without a trigger pull, and does not require a safety to be drop safe.

71. On February 28, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged while in use by the University of Cincinnati Police Department.

72. On June 14, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Wilsonville, Oregon.

73. On June 20, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged while in use by the Howell Township, NJ, Police Department. 24

74. In June 2017, SIG shipped approximately 800 P320s to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department in Virginia, privately assuring Sheriff David Chapman that the by then known problems with the weapon would be fixed, but stating that for the time being it had to deal with the weapon as currently manufactured and designed. Three P320s within this shipment later fired without trigger pulls on three deputy sheriffs, severely injuring them. 4

75. On July 28, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Tarrant County, Texas.

76. On August 7, 2017, SIG’s CEO, Ron Cohen, stated in a press release that: “there have been zero (0) reported drop-related P320 incidents in the U.S. Commercial market.” This statement was not true. In fact, at the time it was issued, SIG had direct knowledge that Officer Vincent Sheperis in Connecticut had been shot by a drop fire with the commercial version of the P320 approximately eight months earlier, as well as several other defective discharges of the P320 before that date.

77. As noted, on August 8, 2017, SIG announced a “voluntary upgrade” program for the P320 pistol, stating that the pistol meets “rigorous testing protocols for global military and law enforcement agencies” and all “U.S. standards for safety.”

78. This statement was also false and intentionally misleading as there are no United States federal government standards for gun safety, a fact well known to SIG when it issued this press release.5

79. SIG’s VU program, as noted, was presented to the public as purely optional, not urgent, and not mandatory, offering to make existing commercial versions of the P320 “better” by installing a much lighter trigger, an internal disconnector component, and an improved sear to prevent accidental discharges. 4 Both a non-upgraded and “upgraded” re-designed versions of these P320s later fired un-commanded on and hit at least three Loudoun County deputy sheriffs in 2018 and 2019. 5 No federal agency oversees how firearms are designed or built. Congress exempted firearms from any federal regulation when it created the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1972, due to Second Amendment concerns. 25

80. On August 9, 2017, the police chief of Morrow, Georgia, issued an emergency order removing the P320 from service.

81. In October of 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Georgia when an officer fell to the ground in pursuit of a suspect. His weapon was holstered and fired simply when he struck the ground.

82. On November 12, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Tyler, Texas.

83. In January 2018, upon information and belief, a P320 accidentally discharged in Dallas County, Texas.

84. On February 7, 2018, Loudoun County, Virginia, deputy sheriff Marcie Vadnais’s P320 fired on her un-commanded severing her right femur causing catastrophic skeletal injury, deformity, four general anesthesia surgeries, severe emotional distress, and related trauma, ending her career. Upon CAT scanning her P320, it was found to have both a product and manufacturing defect: crossed sear springs that apply upward spring pressure to the sear to keep it from releasing the striker.

85. Months later in April of 2018, SIG issued a second “voluntary upgrade” notice to all users or owners of the P320, but still did not recall the weapon.

86. In May of 2018, civilian Gunter Walker reported to SIG that his P320 fired on him uncommanded when he placed the weapon down on his nightstand, shooting him through the palm of his left hand.

87. In June of 2018, a Williams County, Ohio, officer reported that his P320 discharged twice in one moment as he was merely attempting to move the slide backward. One round grazed the officer’s arm; the other blew through his patrol car’s driver’s side door.

88. In May 2018, a Rancho Cucamonga, California, officer reported that his “upgraded” P320 fired un-commanded while he was merely walking inside his department locker room; the casing of the round did not eject. 26

89. In October of 2018, a P320 fired un-commanded on Lieutenant Letrell Hayes in Georgia while he was holstering it, causing severe tunneling injuries to his right thigh and calf.

90. In October of 2018, firearms expert and retired law enforcement officer Stephen Mayes’ P320 fired on him un-commanded while seated in its holster, causing severe injury to his right leg.

91. In December of 2018, civilian Robert Lang’s P320 fired on him un-commanded, causing severe tunneling wounds to his right leg.

92. On May 19, 2019, the upgraded P320 of Lieutenant Thomas Ahern of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, SWAT team fired un-commanded inside a SWAT van with six other occupants while he was working a shift for the annual Mayfair event near Harvard Square. The round struck a metal plate affixed to his cellphone case, deflected into a SWAT gear bag, and came to rest in a ballistic helmet, narrowly missing everyone. The casing of the round did not eject. Lieutenant Ahern is a SIG-certified armorer on the P320 with significant weapons experience. 6

93. On July 23, 2019, an upgraded P320 fired un-commanded on Officer Walter Collette, Jr. of the Somerville, Massachusetts, police department, hitting him in his leg and causing substantial injuries to his leg. The next day, an upgraded P320 fired un-commanded on a Homeland Security Agent at a firing range in the Bronx, New York.

94. In August of 2019, a Philadelphia transit officer’s upgraded P320 fired un-commanded while fully-holstered, nearly striking a bystander in the subway. The incident was captured on video, it shows an “upgraded” P320 firing without the gun ever being touched and seated inside 6 According to SIG Sauer documents, “[t]he SIG SAUER factory armorer certification enables the agency armorer or individual user to completely disassemble, inspect, service, and re-assemble associated weapon systems without voiding the factory warranty. Proper and routine weapon maintenance and inspection of a firearm are essential to ensure maximum reliability. Factory armorer courses at SIG SAUER Academy certify agency armorers or individuals to maintain, inspect, service, and repair selected SIG SAUER firearms while preserving the factory warranty. Upon successful completion, armorers will fully understand each firearm and be factory-certified for a period of three years.” https://www.sigsaueracademy.com/course/armorer-certification 27 its holster. The officer involved, who noted that the round almost hit a bystander, was returned to duty the next day fully exonerated and with no discipline.

95. The Philadelphia transit authority replaced all SIG P320s, and later fully exonerated the officer of any alleged wrongdoing in view of the content of the videotape of the incident showing that it fired without a trigger pull. The officer, Craig Jacklyn, later stated: This weapon is a hazard. I actually spoke with a lawyer for my situation. Although no one was hurt...someone could have been killed. I'm angry that I was put in a potentially life altering position with a product deemed "safe" by its manufacturer. The fact that officers are carrying this weapon on the job and at home around family thinking it's safe even while resting in its holster has me very angry. Everything that I've told you is documented through 2 Investigative Services . . . Philadelphia Police Firearms Investigative Unit/ Officer Involved Shooting Incident Unit and SEPTA Transit Police Criminal Investigations Unit. There is station video footage/ body worn camera footage as well.

96. On September 3, 2019, another upgraded and re-designed P320 in use by the Loudoun County, Virginia, sheriff’s office fired un-commanded on another Loudoun County deputy sheriff, Carl Costello, hitting him in his leg.

97. On October 10, 2019, Officer Jacques Desrosiers, also of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department, was shot by his P320 without a trigger pull. The round caused massive and life-changing injuries to Officer Desrosiers. The spent casing of the round did not eject.

98. On October 11, 2019, a P320 fired un-commanded on Veterans Affairs police officer Frank J. Kneski, striking him beneath his lower back as he was un-holstering the weapon. Upon inspection it was found that the spent casing did not eject.

99. The Kneski discharge was investigated by Major Peter J. Villani of the United States Veterans Affairs police agency, also a SIG-certified armorer. In his report, he noted the following: After reviewing the Officer’s sidearm, it was noted that the P-320 came from Sig Sauer to the distributor prior to the point of sale already with the “upgrade” completed. The sidearm had approximately 100 rounds through it since purchased. 28 Upon further examination of the internal parts of the frame module, I noticed that the foot of the striker that catches the [sear] has noticeable side to side and up and down movement within its channel along with upward movement of the slide from the frame. Also, the edge of the striker foot which has a height thickness of approximately 2mm, is only making contact with approximately .25 of a mm of the leading edge only of the disconnector hook. Since the striker has been changed with a lighter weight version during the “upgrade program”, it is quite possible that any abrupt movement or twisting of the P-320 while holstered, could cause the foot of the striker to disengage itself from the disconnector hook on its own since there is so little contact between the striker foot and the [sear].

100. On November 9, 2019, a P320 fired un-commanded on Officer Matthew Gardette of the Manteca, California police department as he was getting ready for work. As he merely attempted to place and fasten his duty belt around his waist, the P320 discharged inside the holster.

101. The holster was a Safariland level three holster with the hood cover up securing the pistol. The round blew out the bottom of the holster, impacted the locker room floor, and missed both Officer Gardette and a fellow officer by inches as it ricocheted into a locker door.

102. On December 2, 2019, a P320 fired un-commanded while in the possession of Detective David Albert, also of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department, as he was in the process of putting his duty belt on.

103. In June of 2020, a P320 fired un-commanded on a Pasco County, Florida officer, severely wounding him in his right leg. This incident was the third un-commanded discharge experienced by Pasco County officers since 2019.

104. In June of 2020, a P320 fired un-commanded on a civilian in Missouri while fully seated in its holster, causing substantial damage to the holster and resulting in a broken bone to the civilian’s foot.

105. Upon information and belief, employees at SIG’s own training academy in New Hampshire have knowledge of defective discharges causing injury that occurred in both 2016 and 2017.

* Many of these discharges have no details about the nature and circumstances of the discharge.*

*Comments by WVsig not contained in the lawsuit.
 
Didn't we discuss this in detail already?

I don't think we have in regard to post upgrade and 2017 and later post production change pistols. It seems like there is still might be an issue. If there is another thread discussing this new law suit which was just filed on 7/2/2020 please have a mod close the thread and link us to the old thread.
 
A couple of things to remember about this lawsuit, and generally any lawsuit in particular, the complaint will have anything and everything in it that might even remotely push the case in their direction. Several of the discharges listed above are highly suspect of being pure negligence. #69: How exactly was a teachers neck in line with the muzzle? #86: Who here puts their gun on the nightstand with their palm covering the muzzle? #87: Oh really? nuff said. #92: How many of you have cellphone cases in line with the muzzle of your holstered gun?

Not saying that any in particular were negligence, just pointing out that a long list of accidental discharges doesn't necessarily mean there is something wrong with the gun. After all "Glock leg" is a thing. Nothing wrong with the Glock.

Also, I think it's important to point out that the gun in this lawsuit did not have the upgrade.
 
A couple of things to remember about this lawsuit, and generally any lawsuit in particular, the complaint will have anything and everything in it that might even remotely push the case in their direction. Several of the discharges listed above are highly suspect of being pure negligence. #69: How exactly was a teachers neck in line with the muzzle? #86: Who here puts their gun on the nightstand with their palm covering the muzzle? #87: Oh really? nuff said. #92: How many of you have cellphone cases in line with the muzzle of your holstered gun?

Not saying that any in particular were negligence, just pointing out that a long list of accidental discharges doesn't necessarily mean there is something wrong with the gun. After all "Glock leg" is a thing. Nothing wrong with the Glock.

Also, I think it's important to point out that the gun in this lawsuit did not have the upgrade.

True you have to look at the total body of info. The part where I think Sig is in trouble is that they have said time and time again that the upgrade was voluntary and that your gun was perfectly safe if you did not upgrade the gun. That unupgraded your gun was 100% drop safe and would not fire if you did not pull the bang switch. Also if you look at most of the case of self discharge they were upgraded guns. Again I agree 100% with your Glock leg analogy. The more guns in peoples hands trained or untrained the more NDs you are going to have. The actual warranty law he is using to sue will also come into play.
 
https://www.sigsauer.com/support/p320-voluntary-upgrade/



Is my P320 safe in its current configuration?
Yes. The P320 meets and exceeds all US safety standards. However, mechanical safeties are designed to augment, not replace safe handling practices. Careless and improper handling of any firearm can result in an unintentional discharge.
 
The part where I think Sig is in trouble is that they have said time and time again that the upgrade was voluntary and that your gun was perfectly safe if you did not upgrade the gun.

I think you are exactly right. I have trouble understanding SIGs, "everything is fine, it's a voluntary upgrade" approach. Mine went back right away.

I'm confused by the claims of the sear and striker not having enough interface. The P320 does have a firing pin block. It has always had a firing pin block. If the striker is jumping the sear, the gun shouldn't be discharging. The original problem was the that the specific angle the gun was falling at was allowing an inertia pull of the trigger, which of course over comes the pin block.

I really wonder how many of these "the gun just went off" incidents are fouled or poorly fitting holsters that are pulling the trigger.
 
*This is straight from the actual lawsuit. It is more than just one guy. Also you have to take into consideration that Sig for business gain concealed the original issue. Sig management was willfully ignorant of the problem to escape direct liability. IMHO They changed the trigger on the Govt contract and did not change it on the commercial product until they had to settle a lawsuit publicly. They then only did a voluntary upgrade verse a real recall and declared declared that un-upgraded guns were still drop safe and could not fire on their own.*

E. Other Substantially Similar or Identical Defective Discharges of the P320.

62. Before it introduced the P320 into the stream of commerce in the United States in 2014, SIG was aware of defective discharges without a trigger pull, many of which pre-dated the December 2016 sale to Guay.

63. Upon information and belief, there have been many prior incidents of defective discharges involving the P320 that have discharged without the trigger being pulled (whether involving the P320 in its original configuration, or the re-designed or “upgraded” version). The P320 has defectively discharged (both while in battery and out-of-battery) while the weapon was merely being handled, moved, while it was being holstered or un-holstered, and when the weapon was accidentally dropped. 3 3 A pistol such as the P320 is in battery when it is ready to fire with the slide properly positioned in alignment with the frame over which it rests. An “out-of-battery” discharge occurs when the slide is not in proper alignment with the weapon’s frame. Photo shows a pistol in out-of-battery state. 23

64. For example, in February of 2016, a fully-holstered P320 discharged without a trigger pull inside a Roscommon, Michigan police officer’s vehicle when the officer moved to exit the vehicle during a snowstorm. The incident was captured on the officer’s body cam video (fn. 3 above) and shows that no object entered his holster at any time.

65. In 2016, the Surprise, Arizona, police department complained to SIG of two separate incidents of P320s firing without trigger pulls.

66. Despite outstanding discovery requests in a civil action against SIG regarding defects with the P320 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2018, Vadnais v. SIG Sauer, Inc., 1:18-cv-00540 (EDVA 2018), these three incidents described in Paragraphs 64 and 65 herein were not disclosed by SIG, until the last day of discovery.

67. In October of 2016, a P320 fired un-commanded on retired NYPD officer Thomas Frankenberry in South Carolina, severely injuring him. The spent casing did not eject.

68. In November of 2016, a P320 fired un-commanded on an officer in Holmes Beach, Florida, striking him in his leg.

69. In 2017, a sheriff’s deputy in Michigan accidentally discharged a SIG Sauer pistol, striking a schoolteacher in the neck.

70. On January 5, 2017, a P320 shot a Stamford SWAT team member in his left knee when the pistol fell from a distance of less than three feet to the ground while fully holstered, refuting SIG’s express representations that the weapon is drop safe, cannot fire without a trigger pull, and does not require a safety to be drop safe.

71. On February 28, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged while in use by the University of Cincinnati Police Department.

72. On June 14, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Wilsonville, Oregon.

73. On June 20, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged while in use by the Howell Township, NJ, Police Department. 24

74. In June 2017, SIG shipped approximately 800 P320s to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department in Virginia, privately assuring Sheriff David Chapman that the by then known problems with the weapon would be fixed, but stating that for the time being it had to deal with the weapon as currently manufactured and designed. Three P320s within this shipment later fired without trigger pulls on three deputy sheriffs, severely injuring them. 4

75. On July 28, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Tarrant County, Texas.

76. On August 7, 2017, SIG’s CEO, Ron Cohen, stated in a press release that: “there have been zero (0) reported drop-related P320 incidents in the U.S. Commercial market.” This statement was not true. In fact, at the time it was issued, SIG had direct knowledge that Officer Vincent Sheperis in Connecticut had been shot by a drop fire with the commercial version of the P320 approximately eight months earlier, as well as several other defective discharges of the P320 before that date.

77. As noted, on August 8, 2017, SIG announced a “voluntary upgrade” program for the P320 pistol, stating that the pistol meets “rigorous testing protocols for global military and law enforcement agencies” and all “U.S. standards for safety.”

78. This statement was also false and intentionally misleading as there are no United States federal government standards for gun safety, a fact well known to SIG when it issued this press release.5

79. SIG’s VU program, as noted, was presented to the public as purely optional, not urgent, and not mandatory, offering to make existing commercial versions of the P320 “better” by installing a much lighter trigger, an internal disconnector component, and an improved sear to prevent accidental discharges. 4 Both a non-upgraded and “upgraded” re-designed versions of these P320s later fired un-commanded on and hit at least three Loudoun County deputy sheriffs in 2018 and 2019. 5 No federal agency oversees how firearms are designed or built. Congress exempted firearms from any federal regulation when it created the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1972, due to Second Amendment concerns. 25

80. On August 9, 2017, the police chief of Morrow, Georgia, issued an emergency order removing the P320 from service.

81. In October of 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Georgia when an officer fell to the ground in pursuit of a suspect. His weapon was holstered and fired simply when he struck the ground.

82. On November 12, 2017, a P320 accidentally discharged in Tyler, Texas.

83. In January 2018, upon information and belief, a P320 accidentally discharged in Dallas County, Texas.

84. On February 7, 2018, Loudoun County, Virginia, deputy sheriff Marcie Vadnais’s P320 fired on her un-commanded severing her right femur causing catastrophic skeletal injury, deformity, four general anesthesia surgeries, severe emotional distress, and related trauma, ending her career. Upon CAT scanning her P320, it was found to have both a product and manufacturing defect: crossed sear springs that apply upward spring pressure to the sear to keep it from releasing the striker.

85. Months later in April of 2018, SIG issued a second “voluntary upgrade” notice to all users or owners of the P320, but still did not recall the weapon.

86. In May of 2018, civilian Gunter Walker reported to SIG that his P320 fired on him uncommanded when he placed the weapon down on his nightstand, shooting him through the palm of his left hand.

87. In June of 2018, a Williams County, Ohio, officer reported that his P320 discharged twice in one moment as he was merely attempting to move the slide backward. One round grazed the officer’s arm; the other blew through his patrol car’s driver’s side door.

88. In May 2018, a Rancho Cucamonga, California, officer reported that his “upgraded” P320 fired un-commanded while he was merely walking inside his department locker room; the casing of the round did not eject. 26

89. In October of 2018, a P320 fired un-commanded on Lieutenant Letrell Hayes in Georgia while he was holstering it, causing severe tunneling injuries to his right thigh and calf.

90. In October of 2018, firearms expert and retired law enforcement officer Stephen Mayes’ P320 fired on him un-commanded while seated in its holster, causing severe injury to his right leg.

91. In December of 2018, civilian Robert Lang’s P320 fired on him un-commanded, causing severe tunneling wounds to his right leg.

92. On May 19, 2019, the upgraded P320 of Lieutenant Thomas Ahern of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, SWAT team fired un-commanded inside a SWAT van with six other occupants while he was working a shift for the annual Mayfair event near Harvard Square. The round struck a metal plate affixed to his cellphone case, deflected into a SWAT gear bag, and came to rest in a ballistic helmet, narrowly missing everyone. The casing of the round did not eject. Lieutenant Ahern is a SIG-certified armorer on the P320 with significant weapons experience. 6

93. On July 23, 2019, an upgraded P320 fired un-commanded on Officer Walter Collette, Jr. of the Somerville, Massachusetts, police department, hitting him in his leg and causing substantial injuries to his leg. The next day, an upgraded P320 fired un-commanded on a Homeland Security Agent at a firing range in the Bronx, New York.

94. In August of 2019, a Philadelphia transit officer’s upgraded P320 fired un-commanded while fully-holstered, nearly striking a bystander in the subway. The incident was captured on video, it shows an “upgraded” P320 firing without the gun ever being touched and seated inside 6 According to SIG Sauer documents, “[t]he SIG SAUER factory armorer certification enables the agency armorer or individual user to completely disassemble, inspect, service, and re-assemble associated weapon systems without voiding the factory warranty. Proper and routine weapon maintenance and inspection of a firearm are essential to ensure maximum reliability. Factory armorer courses at SIG SAUER Academy certify agency armorers or individuals to maintain, inspect, service, and repair selected SIG SAUER firearms while preserving the factory warranty. Upon successful completion, armorers will fully understand each firearm and be factory-certified for a period of three years.” https://www.sigsaueracademy.com/course/armorer-certification 27 its holster. The officer involved, who noted that the round almost hit a bystander, was returned to duty the next day fully exonerated and with no discipline.

95. The Philadelphia transit authority replaced all SIG P320s, and later fully exonerated the officer of any alleged wrongdoing in view of the content of the videotape of the incident showing that it fired without a trigger pull. The officer, Craig Jacklyn, later stated: This weapon is a hazard. I actually spoke with a lawyer for my situation. Although no one was hurt...someone could have been killed. I'm angry that I was put in a potentially life altering position with a product deemed "safe" by its manufacturer. The fact that officers are carrying this weapon on the job and at home around family thinking it's safe even while resting in its holster has me very angry. Everything that I've told you is documented through 2 Investigative Services . . . Philadelphia Police Firearms Investigative Unit/ Officer Involved Shooting Incident Unit and SEPTA Transit Police Criminal Investigations Unit. There is station video footage/ body worn camera footage as well.

96. On September 3, 2019, another upgraded and re-designed P320 in use by the Loudoun County, Virginia, sheriff’s office fired un-commanded on another Loudoun County deputy sheriff, Carl Costello, hitting him in his leg.

97. On October 10, 2019, Officer Jacques Desrosiers, also of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department, was shot by his P320 without a trigger pull. The round caused massive and life-changing injuries to Officer Desrosiers. The spent casing of the round did not eject.

98. On October 11, 2019, a P320 fired un-commanded on Veterans Affairs police officer Frank J. Kneski, striking him beneath his lower back as he was un-holstering the weapon. Upon inspection it was found that the spent casing did not eject.

99. The Kneski discharge was investigated by Major Peter J. Villani of the United States Veterans Affairs police agency, also a SIG-certified armorer. In his report, he noted the following: After reviewing the Officer’s sidearm, it was noted that the P-320 came from Sig Sauer to the distributor prior to the point of sale already with the “upgrade” completed. The sidearm had approximately 100 rounds through it since purchased. 28 Upon further examination of the internal parts of the frame module, I noticed that the foot of the striker that catches the [sear] has noticeable side to side and up and down movement within its channel along with upward movement of the slide from the frame. Also, the edge of the striker foot which has a height thickness of approximately 2mm, is only making contact with approximately .25 of a mm of the leading edge only of the disconnector hook. Since the striker has been changed with a lighter weight version during the “upgrade program”, it is quite possible that any abrupt movement or twisting of the P-320 while holstered, could cause the foot of the striker to disengage itself from the disconnector hook on its own since there is so little contact between the striker foot and the [sear].

100. On November 9, 2019, a P320 fired un-commanded on Officer Matthew Gardette of the Manteca, California police department as he was getting ready for work. As he merely attempted to place and fasten his duty belt around his waist, the P320 discharged inside the holster.

101. The holster was a Safariland level three holster with the hood cover up securing the pistol. The round blew out the bottom of the holster, impacted the locker room floor, and missed both Officer Gardette and a fellow officer by inches as it ricocheted into a locker door.

102. On December 2, 2019, a P320 fired un-commanded while in the possession of Detective David Albert, also of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department, as he was in the process of putting his duty belt on.

103. In June of 2020, a P320 fired un-commanded on a Pasco County, Florida officer, severely wounding him in his right leg. This incident was the third un-commanded discharge experienced by Pasco County officers since 2019.

104. In June of 2020, a P320 fired un-commanded on a civilian in Missouri while fully seated in its holster, causing substantial damage to the holster and resulting in a broken bone to the civilian’s foot.

105. Upon information and belief, employees at SIG’s own training academy in New Hampshire have knowledge of defective discharges causing injury that occurred in both 2016 and 2017.

* Many of these discharges have no details about the nature and circumstances of the discharge.*

*Comments by WVsig not contained in the lawsuit.
OMG!
 
I think you are exactly right. I have trouble understanding SIGs, "everything is fine, it's a voluntary upgrade" approach. Mine went back right away.

I'm confused by the claims of the sear and striker not having enough interface. The P320 does have a firing pin block. It has always had a firing pin block. If the striker is jumping the sear, the gun shouldn't be discharging. The original problem was the that the specific angle the gun was falling at was allowing an inertia pull of the trigger, which of course over comes the pin block.

I really wonder how many of these "the gun just went off" incidents are fouled or poorly fitting holsters that are pulling the trigger.

Over at SIGforum there was a forum member who had a P320 with the upgrade that his P320 went off in the holder but luckily he was not injured. It turns out by his own admission that he was using a holster not designed for the P320 but one designed for another model gun that he says his P320 fit in like a glove. He sent the P320 to SIG explaining what happened including using the wrong holster and SIG claimed they did extensive testing on it and found nothing wrong with the P320 and blamed using the wrong holster. I read that a whole lot where someone posts their new pistol fits great in a holster they already have for a different pistol and they are so happy which just makes me cringe, especially for striker fired pistols. I am glad that forum member at least admitted his mistake so others could learn.

However as much as I like shooting the P320 I have never bought one yet. There is just a nagging feeling for me personally that I still do not trust it that I just can not shake off and there are other brand pistols that I like shooting just as well so I have never made the leap yet.even though there are hundreds of thousands of P320s out there.
 
* Many of these discharges have no details about the nature and circumstances of the discharge.*
And there very probably will never be details about the nature and circumstances of the discharge(s). There exists almost 100% of the time to blame the tool and not the user; as a long-time law enforcement firearms instructor, I'm a tad skeptical about a number of these "accidental discharges," particularly when the only detail is, "the pistol fired 'un-commanded.' " Additionally, many discharges that take place when holstering, or when the pistol is in the holster, have root causal factors other than the mechanics of the pistol.

Also, I think it's important to point out that the gun in this lawsuit did not have the upgrade.

Just like we went through with the S&W M&P and the GLOCK before. Lawsuits that include instances such as the ones named in the suit above are like throwing poop against the wall to see what sticks.
 
As long as Sig holds the M17/M18 military contracts, the litigation exposure in the civilian and LEO markets will be a load of bad publicity for the company. But the U.S. Gov’t will not allow a key military subcontractor to go under as long as Sig has the contracts to provide this key weapons system. I just hope that the US government doesn’t end up indemnifying the company against pending litigation, in order to keep Sig afloat. Unfortunately the US taxpayers have a long tradition of supporting military subcontractors that over promise and under deliver (ask me how I know this).

OBTW, I am hopeful that the Army’s acquisition command will pull back a portion of the award and give at least a partial award to Glock for a Gen5 21SF with a stupid thumb safety, which they would leave off the civilian version that I would be one of the first in line to buy. Our warfighters would have an alternate weapons system that is at least at reliable as Sig’s product, but with a superior caliber advantage.
 
The P320 is Go2Go as far as I'm concerned because they're a top tier company. Seems Sig has more design and quality control issues than Taurus and other "lesser" companies, but seems like they get a pass on the p365 and p320. All I keep hearing is excuse after excuse, rationalization after rationalization, and skepticism after skepticism.

If these series of events happened with another pistol from another none Glock, S&W, Ruger, Sig, or CZ company, no one here would be carrying or recommending there pistol. There's a double standard. I still think the Beretta APX should have won and is a better pistol than the Sig, but I guess people value looks over function and safety.
 
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