Photocredit: Snipershide.com
The Sig Sauer P320 social media meltdown related to alleged safety issues continues this week, with more and more private owners worrying about their guns, despite the majority of reported issues seeming to be related to uncommanded discharges inside law enforcement or military holsters.
I have never seen a bigger firearms furor which could tumble a manufacturer and social media continues to fan the flames and the “issue” is now a public relations nightmare. OK content creators- never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
The closest thing I can recall, was way back in the 1980s when a rumor got out Glock pistols could pass through X-ray machines because they were made entirely of plastic. That legend persisted for years despite it being patently untrue.
Yesterday, July 29, 2025 Sig Sauer fired back.
They put out a statement which said the P320 is one of the safest and most advanced pistols in the world and has been vetted by law enforcement and military testers around the world. They related despite the media circus going on, the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy and the Air Force continue to stand by their Sig Sauer M17 and M18s (variants of the P320). Only one unit in the Air Force has taken the pistol offline pending investigation into a fatal discharge.
Sig also wanted to correct bad rumors U.S. Department of Homeland Security/ICE has shelved their P320s. Homeland Security is a large purchaser of P320s and has never expressed concern or halted daily carry, and in fact ICE has just renewed a large P320 contract with SIG for two more years.
Sig Sauer addressed the FBI investigation into a Michigan Trooper pistol discharge and how the Michigan State Police still carry the P320, and the FBI could not make the questioned gun fail, and has not made any official statement about the pistol.
In a very interesting turn, Sig has also cited shooting ranges, shooting schools and instructors banning P320s and offers to contact and straighten out those people/facilities about the safety of their pistol. They include a hyper link and a phone number to call if you have been impacted by those who would not allow a P320 pistol on range for safety reasons. That is a serious and direct effort by the manufacturer to combat rumors and urban legends about this pistol. Very interesting indeed.
The Sig Sauer letter is pasted below:
“P320 Safety Information
Recently, there have been a number of reports and claims regarding the safety of the P320 pistol and its use by the U.S. Military and law enforcement agencies. We understand you may have questions. We want to address your concerns and provide you with full, complete, and accurate information.
SIG SAUER has ALWAYS and will continue to put the safety and security of the U.S. Military, the law enforcement community, our consumers, and the public first. To this end, we want to be sure concerned citizens have access to complete facts.
The P320 pistol is one of the safest, most advanced pistols in the world -meeting and exceeding all industry safety standards. Its design has been thoroughly tested and validated by the U.S. Military and law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels. In addition, the P320 has been rigorously tested, and is currently in use by militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world.
FBI Testing and Report
A recently publicized internal report from the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility (BRF) created some confusion and raised questions about the safety of the P320. The FBI prepared this report for the Michigan State Police after an officer was involved in an accidental discharge. SIG SAUER engineers met with the FBI and Michigan State Police on several occasions to review the report and the incident. Ultimately, the FBI conducted a more detailed, repeatable, and comprehensive battery of testing using compatible equipment. The subsequent testing resulted in zero instances of failures and the Michigan State Police are now confidently issuing officers P320 based pistols. The FBI BRF have yet to make any official claims or statements regarding the safety of the P320 pistol or any of its variants. However, we are urging the FBI BRF and FBI Director Kash Patel to release a full and complete testing and evaluation report on their updated P320 safety testing.
Department of Homeland Security
An internal memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/ U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was recently posted online stating the agency was halting its use of the P320. Many online media outlets immediately sought to attribute this to the above referenced FBI BRF report, which is incorrect. DHS has never raised any safety concerns about the P320 and ICE has since extended their existing contract with SIG SAUER another two years. Since DHS has yet to comment publicly correcting their improperly leaked memo, or any statements questioning the safety of the P320, we are now urging ICE to release all information on P320 testing. SIG SAUER is honored to continue aiding ICE in their mission to protect America.
U.S. Air Force M18
There was a recent tragic incident at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming which resulted in the death of an Airman. Because the incident involved the discharge of a (P320 based) M18 pistol, the Air Force is actively conducting an evaluation of M18 pistols within the specific Command where the incident happened. This cautionary step is standard procedure. We proactively offered assistance to the U.S. military as they investigate the incident. Contrary to several online reports, (P320 based) M17 and M18 pistols remain on active duty with all branches of the U.S. Military, including the U.S. Air Force, defending freedom around the world. We have absolute confidence in the U.S. Military’s ability to conduct a thorough investigation and report their findings. As we learn more information about the investigation, we will continue to provide updated information.
P320 Range and Training Bans
Following several of these inaccurate reports, a number of ranges, training providers, and training facilities made the reactionary decision to ban the P320 and its use in their facilities. We are actively working to provide these individuals with accurate information along with a detailed understanding of the P320 and its safety features. If you are impacted by a P320 range or a training provider ban, we urge you to reach out to SIG CUSTOMER SERVICE: 603-610-3000 Option 1 or send a message here so we can clarify any misinformation and provide the truth.
The P320 CANNOT, under any circumstances, discharge without the trigger first being moved to the rear. This has been verified through exhaustive testing by SIG SAUER engineers, the U.S. Military, several major federal and state law enforcement agencies, and independent laboratories. This video provides a detailed view into all of the various safety features of the P320 and provides a detailed explanation of how the safety system works; for further information on the P320 please visit here.
As with any gun, the P320 will discharge if the trigger is pulled to the rear. Accordingly, SIG SAUER continues to remind its customers, employees, and the public to employ all safe gun-handling practices as spelled out in detail in our product manuals. The SIG SAUER Academy remains a resource to customers, employees, and the public in offering various firearms safety courses.
We respect the public’s concern and are actively working to provide as much information as possible. We sincerely thank you for your continued support of SIG SAUER and urge anyone with additional questions or concerns regarding the P320 and/or safe firearms handling to reach out to our customer service team.”