SIG Sauer denies there’s a problem, yet strangely their P320 pistols have fired unexpectedly — without pulling the trigger — injuring 80 people to date. In this deeply reported feature, The Trace and The Washington Post have learned that the guns have gone off with routine movements such as holstering the weapon. Unintentional discharge is horrific, but what’s even scarier is that no U.S. government agency has the power to investigate gun defects or impose a mandatory recall, leaving gun manufacturers to police themselves.
Navy veteran and former gunner’s mate Dionicio Delgado said his P320 fired a bullet through his thigh and into his calf after he holstered it during a training session at a gun range in Ruther Glen, Virginia. Michael Parker, a welder, said his holstered P320 fired a bullet into his thigh as he removed the holster from his pocket while in his car in St. Petersburg, Florida. Police officer Brittany Hilton said her holstered P320 fired while inside her purse as she walked to her car in Bridge City, Texas. The bullet entered her groin and exited her back just inches from the base of her spine.