Florida’s law enforcement officers depend on reliable equipment for their own safety and for the public they serve. However, mounting evidence suggests the Sig Sauer P320 sidearm may pose an unacceptable risk.
Reports from officers and civilians nationwide detail un-commanded discharges, including cases where holstered weapons fired without a trigger pull.
I have personally witnessed a video where a local officer was in his kitchen and the pistol went off in its holster with nothing readily manipulating the trigger. Just this week, the U.S. Air Force suspended the use of their Sig Sauer M18, the military variant of the P320, after one of their airmen died. Those case details are still coming to light.
This is not a criticism of Sig Sauer as a company, but a necessary judgment to protect those who put their lives on the line daily.
Recent findings by the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility uncovered a serious issue while studying the weapon at the request of another agency. During testing, the P320 fired nine times from the holster without the trigger being pulled, and in six other instances, the striker hit the primer with enough force to dent it.
Law enforcement should not wait for a tragedy before acting. When officers and the public are at risk, leadership must respond immediately.
Florida’s agencies should remove the P320 from service now for the safety of all, at least until we can be sure this problem is behind us.
Florida’s law enforcement agencies have always prided themselves on being at the forefront of public safety. Officers rely on their equipment not just as a matter of convenience, but as a matter of survival. When the tools designed to protect become a perceived source of danger, it is the sworn duty of leadership to intervene.
The time has come for every law enforcement agency in Florida to stop using the Sig Sauer P320 sidearm as fast as they can be replaced. This is not a matter to be debated in endless committees or subjected to slow bureaucratic review. This is an officer safety issue. This is a public safety problem. And the reasons for decisive action are both compelling and urgent.
— Tampa PBA General Counsel Danny Alvarez in Florida must prioritize safety: The case for ending law enforcement use of the Sig Sauer P320 pistol
The dominoes just keep falling.
Wow. I heard about this a few months ago. I had no idea it was so prevalent. SIG should issue a worldwide recall and either fix the weapons or replace them. They risk losing a fine reputation.