Police officers wounded by their own weapon: lethal flaws discovered in the Sig Sauer P320

Firearms manufacturing company Sig Sauer has been hit with multiple lawsuits and forced to defend itself after a series of customers claimed they had been inadvertently shot by their own weapon without pulling the trigger.

The gun in question is the popular Sig Sauer P320 semi-automatic pistol, which has been in service since 2014 but has been involved in a host of lawsuits since then.

More than 100 P320 owners wounded by own pistol

One user alleged his holstered P320 had fallen from the back of his vehicle and discharged a round into his knee. Another claimed the pistol had discharged as she was removing it from her belt, breaking her femur. A third, a police officer in Puerto Rico, similarly reported the gun had fired and hit him in his right thigh as he took hold of the holster at his waistband inside his pants.

Those were all individual cases filed between August 2017 and January 2022, although two more recent lawsuits, dating from November 2022 and March 2025, claimed there had been well over 100 incidents of the pistol going off without the trigger being pulled.

The New Hampshire law that protects gunmakers

Of the lawsuits issued, Sig Sauer has had some dismissed and is currently in the process of appealing others. The firearms manufacturer’s case has been helped by a law being enacted in New Hampshire, where the company is based, that limits the product liability of firearms manufacturers.

The law was introduced at the request of Sig Sauer and directly as a result of the P320 lawsuits, with lawmakers claiming the measure was taken to protect a major employer in the state.

All gun manufacturers are covered by the law in product liability claims related to the “absence or presence” of specific safety features, one of which is an external mechanical safety, which is generally not a standard feature of the P320.

Sig Sauer claims “user error” or holster issues

Sig Sauer says the P320 “has undergone the most rigorous testing and evaluation of any firearm, by military and law enforcement agencies around the world” and says problems which occur are either down to user error or issues with holsters.

Pennsylvania-based attorney Robert Zimmermann, who has filed numerous lawsuits against Sig Sauer, is among those who have criticized the gun manufacturer: “Sig Sauer should focus on changing the defective design of its P320. Instead, Sig Sauer is paying lobbyists to change New Hampshire law to deprive local, state and federal law enforcement officers and private gun owners from having their day in court and to hold Sig Sauer accountable for their serious injuries.”

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.