SIG Sauer P320 - security issues?

Last week the Dallas Police Department issued a safety recall for all its P320 pistols temporarily suspending their use due to safety precautions: the department stated it was notified that SIG Sauer identified a defect in the P320 handgun that could cause the weapon system to go off when dropped. In the maenwhile some video-proofs have been published in the US, showing that there is an issue. Anyway: that's SIG's first reaction:

“SIG SAUER is committed to producing only the finest products,” said Ron Cohen, President and CEO of SIG SAUER. “Safety and reliability have been and always will be paramount to the SIG SAUER brand.”


Now comes the official press release from SIG SAUER: 

“In response to social media rumors questioning the safety of the P320 pistol, a variant of which was selected by the U.S. government as the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), SIG SAUER, Inc. has full confidence in the reliability, durability and safety of its striker-fired handgun platform. There have been zero (0) reported drop-related P320 incidents in the U.S. commercial market, with hundreds of thousands of guns delivered to date.  The P320 meets and exceeds all U.S. standards for safety, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI), as well as rigorous testing protocols for global military and law enforcement agencies.” 

“All SIG SAUER pistols incorporate effective mechanical safeties to ensure they only fire when the trigger is pressed,“ the document continues. “However, like any mechanical device, exposure to acute conditions (e.g. shock, vibration, heavy or repeated drops) may have a negative effect on these safety mechanisms and cause them to not work as designed. This language is common to owner’s manuals of major handgun manufacturers.  As a result, individual attempts to perform drop tests outside of professionally controlled environments should not be attempted.” 

After the Modular Handgun System competition (details of the tender of the US-Army):

Has the "media war" about the SIG Sauer and the P320 already started or is there an issue? Obviously the later seems to be true. But indeed SIG SAUER is reacting now (see UPDATE 2).


UPDATE 1 / Current development at the Dallas Police Department:

The "Dallas safety-frenzy" is just fizzling out: it seems that the Dallas Police Department will place the SIG SAUER P320 pistols back on the authorized carry list. Indeed, they confirmed that there have been no instances of malfunction or any other problems.


UPDATE 2 /  SIG Sauer Issues Voluntary Upgrade of P320 Pistol. 

In a press release dated August 8th, the Company states: “Recent events indicate that dropping the P320 beyond U.S. standards for safety may cause an unintentional discharge. As a result of input from law enforcement, government and military customers, SIG has developed a number of enhancements in function, reliability, and overall safety including drop performance. SIG SAUER is offering these enhancements to its customers. Details of this program will be available at sigsauer.com on Monday, August 14, 2017. The M17 variant of the P320, selected by the U.S. government as the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), is not affected by the Voluntary Upgrade.“


Background information:

The model SIG SAUER P320 was selected earlier this year as the new Modular Handgun System of the US Army - beating out GLOCK, SMITH & WESSON and BERETTA for the contract.


For further information on SIG SAUER USA, please visit the website of the weapon manufacturer.

08/07/2017