Posted on 02/22/2021 4:46:41 PM PST by PROCON
Gunmaker Sig Sauer is facing a new lawsuit from a U.S. federal agent who claims his holstered P320 pistol discharged without him pulling the trigger and struck him in his upper right hip.
According to a Thursday press release by Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky P.C., former U.S. Marine and Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agent Keith Slatowski was preparing to discharge his service pistol at a government firing range on Sept. 21, 2020, without him touching or even pulling the trigger.
The accidental discharge resulted in “substantial injury, maceration of tissue, blood loss, and nerve damage” according to the press release. The lawsuit alleges Slatowski’s injuries are the result of “potentially deadly design defects.”
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The lawsuit is particularly noteworthy as the Sig Sauer P320 is a design nearly identical to the M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System adopted by the U.S. Army in 2017.
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Slatowski’s lawsuit alleges the P320 has had at least 28 accidental discharge incidents among law enforcement officers, 15 of which have resulted in injuries.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanmilitarynews.com ...
Interesting news. We’ll see if more details are added in updates. The threads are sometimes enlightening, too.
Fanboy: My firearm is the only good one!
Old machinist: All firearms are good.
I’ve never been a fan of striker fired pistols so I’m the worst person to talk to about them. I was under the impression that the P320 while cocking the striker during the recoil cycle only half cocked it and it took a full cycle or pull for the trigger to be fully cocked.
I was under the impression that the slide only takes the striker to a half cock position and the trigger pull took it to a full cock position right before firing. This helped take the load of the trigger reducing the amount of trigger pull needed. The Sig’s I have are not striker fired and do leave the hammer in full cock position, but they also have a de-cocker. I’m not a fan of striker fired pistols or polymer pistols.
If I am going to arm myself with a semi auto, I want a hammer with double action.
The only striker fired weapons I own are Glocks: M19, M43X and M44. If I understand the striker fired mechanism, the only way for his sidearm to discharge as he describes is for the striker to have been cocked without use of the trigger.
Not saying that's impossible.
Glocks go to about a 3/4 cock and the trigger finishes it, on Sigs, it is fully cocked. That is one of the reasons Sig has an easier trigger pull.
I am a metal frame/hammer fired type as well.
Strange looking trigger on that animal for a striker fire. Like it’s missing one of the safety mechanisms on a Glock.
Here’s what I posted about strikers a while back.
In the case of Glocks, the firing pin is located BELOW the round and in a FORWARD position with a round chambered. When the trigger is pulled, in addition to some other safety events, the firing pin is pulled BACK and then RAISED to the level of the cartridge, before being let loose.
Unless the gun is damaged, it’s impossible for the round to discharge unless the trigger is manipulated.
Not a fan but definitely not against them, they’ve more than proven themselves in the accuracy, reliability and durability categories. Mainly it’s because I’m an old man and just stuck in his ways. Most of my pistols are revolvers and I only own one AR platform rifle and it took a long time before I got one of those.
I believe it. One cooked off in a very hot chamber.
Always unload a hot chamber or keep muzzle pointed in a safe direction until you are able to do so after repeated mag dumps. I bet he ran some number of full mag dumps through it just before this occurred. That last chambered round just sat there cooking until... BANG and you’re done.
Thanks for the additional info on this case.
SS1
Simply cannot beat a 1911. Intuitive and quick with 2 safeties.
JmB was a genius.
Basic biology.
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