2 minutes on Google will turn up a number of similar reports of Glocks 'just going off in the holster' or 'unintentionally'. It still happens on a not-infrequent basis - and it's usually operator error or something interfering with the holster. There's even a Glock accessory out there (the gadget or striker control device) to block the rearward motion of the striker during re-holstering.
Funny how the consensus is now to assume it's the users fault if it's a Glock, but if it's a P320 there must be a conspiracy. The fact that there are lawsuits is not proof. I imagine if you accidentally discharged your pistol during re-holstering you'd want to cover the shame of it by claiming it was the guns fault, especially if others are doing it, and you might get a settlement. Maybe the 320 is susceptible because it doesn't have a trigger safety - but the issue seems to happen to Glocks too. I wonder why that might be.
Are there defective P320s out there? Probably. Glocks can have defects too. It happens to every brand out there. Did Sig handle the trigger / drop safety issue well? I don't think so. But I don't think there's a conspiracy, and I don't think Glock is the best choice out there either.
I guess I will have to post the data for you and others to see, as you again, clearly have not read the linked legal brief.
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.
I've highlighted a couple of the incidents. Lets be clear. Guns were HOLSTERED and untouched when they went off. Your Glock argument is bunk. For starters Glocks are double action only, 320's are SINGLE ACTION. The pre tension on a Glocks striker is approximately 1/4 of the travel needed to detonate a primer. This pre tension actually keeps the trigger bar in the FORWARD position which completely prevents the striker from separating from the sear(crucible sear). The trigger blade/tab/dingus safety prevents the trigger bar from moving rearward, and the firing pin block prevents access to the primer(via the striker/firing pin) unless the trigger bar is depressed to the rear. Dumb people ramming guns into holsters with debris or obstructions in them are flirting with disaster. Those incidents are 100% operator error. The stupid slide plate device you mention is a waste of time. It's intended for those with low levels of training or confidence. Ramming your gun home in the holster is poor form regardless of make or model.
SIG lied about the problem, then miraculously had a solution to the "non existent problem" just 4 days later. Then the truth bomb came out, SIG had "corrected" the issues for the US Army for the trials, but neglected to inform the public. Once they got caught lying they offered a BS "voluntary upgrade" program because that is both cheaper and logistically easier to implement than a proper recall. What's more telling is that SIG offered a SECOND voluntary upgrade.. Both of which involved REPLACING PARTS and MILLING THE SLIDE.
Sorry, Glock doesn't offer guns that go off on their own, never have. Manufacturing/design issues, sure, like everyone else. The 320 is simply another wannabe Glock(polymer framed, striker fired). It offers nothing advantageous over a Glock. With the uncommanded discharges, it's hard fail...
). Nevertheless, they are important skills for the air force... arguably even more important skills for them than the army at large.
