Another day, another headline dragging the SIG P320 through the mud. This time, it’s the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission banning the P320 from its academy due to concerns over accidental discharges. Recruits who were issued the striker-fired SIG are now being handed loaner guns for firearms training.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock—or purposefully tuned out the noise—you’ve probably seen the P320 lawsuits, user complaints, and media blitzes. Considering the P320 is the U.S. military’s standard sidearm and one of the top-selling pistols in the country, controversy was inevitable.
But is it really about the gun? Or are we ignoring something bigger?
Holster Mishap or Firearm Flaw?
Seattle’s KING-5 News recently covered an incident involving a sheriff’s deputy responding to a call involving an emotionally disturbed individual. During the takedown, a round discharged from the deputy’s holstered P320. No injuries, fortunately.
But here’s where it gets weird: the agency claimed the discharge was caused by a loose handcuff arm getting into the trigger guard while still holstered.
You read that right.
The holster in question was fitted for a weapon-mounted light, which inherently adds bulk and leaves a wider opening. That extra room between the gun and the holster mouth? It’s an invitation. Whether it’s a cuff arm, zipper pull, drawstring, or even a suspect’s finger during a scuffle, you’ve now got a clear path to the trigger.
We’re not looking at a design defect. We’re looking at a setup fail.
Too Much Gear, Not Enough Thought
This isn’t an isolated issue. Any modern striker-fired handgun can be vulnerable in an improperly designed or overly spacious holster. The more gear you strap onto a gun—lights, lasers, extended controls—the more space you create for Murphy’s Law to strike.
Many departments jumped on the accessory rail train without considering the second- and third-order effects. When asked why every officer wasn’t issued a weapon light, one agency responded, “Someone’s going to use it to rummage around inside a car during a traffic stop… or to read a driver’s license.”
Ridiculous, right? Wrong. It happened.
The Weapon Light Debate
Let’s be real—weapon lights have a place. But that place might not be every officer’s hip or every civilian’s concealed carry rig. There’s a reason many shooters still prefer a powerful handheld for general use: more control, safer usage, and no need to muzzle-sweep everything in your field of view just to illuminate it.
Need a light on a long gun? Absolutely. You’ve got both hands on the gun and need positive target ID. But again—discipline matters. A light is still attached to a weapon. Treat it accordingly.
The Bigger Picture: Setup Matters
This controversy shouldn’t be centered on SIG’s P320 alone. It should trigger a serious conversation about holster design, gear selection, and retention considerations.
If your current holster setup allows foreign objects—or body parts—to reach the trigger, that’s not a pistol problem. That’s a training and equipment problem. Full stop.
Striker-fired handguns, including the P320, GLOCKs, and countless others, rely on proper handling, proper gear, and proper training.
Slap a light on the front, use a loose-fitting or low-retention holster, then wrestle with a suspect? You’re asking for trouble.
Final Thoughts
Before we pile on another “bad gun” headline, let’s ask the harder question: Are we expecting too much from our firearms and not enough from our setups?
Holsters need to be purpose-built for the exact gun-light combo you’re running. They need to protect the trigger guard—period. No excuses.
Blaming SIG alone for these incidents distracts from a wider issue affecting all modern duty and carry pistols. It’s not just about the gun.
It’s about the total system—gun, holster, gear, and user.
“The more gear you strap onto a gun—lights, lasers, extended controls—the more space you create for Murphy’s Law to strike.“
Thank you. 20 years ago in Iraq we had a term for people like this. We called them “geardos”. They’d cover themselves and their weapon in asinine amounts of the latest tactical gear. These days that seems to be quite the trend in the gun world, and in LE/MIL around the globe. I see so much shit and weight just hanging off of cops, soldiers, and regular shooters. I don’t know if everyone needs layers of modern anti drone tech on them at all times but personally I believe in being faster, lighter, simpler, and not having a ton of things to snag on or someone to grab. Keep it simple stupid.
This whole post is devoid of a real argument.
If the “total” system was a problem, why wouldn’t literally any other gun have this issue. There is one example of one cop having system set up and now the Sig apologists are grasping at the flimsies of straws trying to prove the gun isn’t flawed.
This is slightly more hinged than their X posts.
Plenty of Glocks with lights in overloaded duty belts, no random discharges. Plenty of Berettas with lights in overloaded duty belts, no random discharges. Plenty of S&Ws with lights in overloaded duty belts, no random discharges. Go see your shrink, your blood-copium levels appear too low.
It is more complex than it needs to be…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=h3crsJ1rXiA&feature=shared
If you’re explaining, you’re losing. I’ll just steer clear of the P320, plenty of other options out there.
Weird how SIGs fire by “themselves” only when handled by the user.
Yeah, especially when the user is removing a holster (not a gun from a holster, an actual holster!) and the P320 shoots him. Weird, isn’t it? But it happened, it’s documented and witnessed.
The P320 will fire if anything at all touches the trigger, including if you’re pulling your holster out of your appendix carry position. You don’t even have to touch the P320 at all.
Facts.
“We’re not looking at a design defect. We’re looking at a setup fail.”
As per the cuffs being the cause, it seems that if the cuffs are properly closed and stored that there should be no way for them to be the cause.
The strange part is that it seems to be happening to multiple Sig P320s. Plus, a proper holster would go far in eliminating these phenomenons.
The author summed it up nicely:
“Holsters need to be purpose-built for the exact gun-light combo you’re running. They need to protect the trigger guard—period. No excuses.
Blaming SIG alone for these incidents distracts from a wider issue affecting all modern duty and carry pistols. It’s not just about the gun.
It’s about the total system—gun, holster, gear, and user.”
I just posted a comment in which there was no foul language, no person mentioned by name or reference. General comments were made per the author’s statements and yet the entire comment vanished into this air when “Post Comment” was clicked. This vanishing of comments has happened several times in the last 10 or so days. Others have also experienced this ghosting of comments. I do appreciate TTAG taking care of the contrast problem several complained about and the contrast is such that all can be easily viewed. Posting of this comment is not necessary for I merely wanted someone at TTAG to know about the sudden and immediate disappearance of comments.
Note: I don’t often call a S O B a S O B; butt the ones I do refer to as a S O B have made it clear to all that they are a S O B.
It looks like all comments go to moderation now. It looks like your comment posts, but only you can see it until it gets approved. As I’m writing this reply, there are ten comments here. None of them are replies. That’s probably because they couldn’t see the other comments yet.
There’s another site that doesn’t do this. If TTAG doesn’t want to respond to their visitors, then it’s time to visit other places instead.
I left, changed my IP address and came back. Now I don’t see the reply I left minutes ago. Oddly enough, when I made that reply, I could see your reply to someone here. Now I don’t see that reply either. It’s back to ten comments. TTAG isn’t worth much any more without a functioning comment section.
After making the above comment, I see the replies and more comments. It looks like making a comment unlocks permission to see replies. Why?
Using the same IP address, I came back. I can still see 18 comments now.
I left, changed the IP address, and came back. It’s back to ten comments now. I bet I’ll be able to see the others once I post this comment.
Yep. Presto. 20 comments. Weird. Why??
The way around the issue is to make a comment first. Then you should see all of the comments. However, people won’t see your comment unless they make a comment, stick around, and read back through the comment section.
You may want to re-evaluate the holster you use for your social media device. It’s about the total system.
Same here, too. No foul language or ANYTHING… TTAG needs a new comments section!!
There’s no money in suing a user for bad equipment decisions.
I own two, both are in chassis systems one with a manual safety (chassis) I have not had issues that being said I’m not running either system in a holster.
But wearing an overloaded “batbelt” is just so cool & operatorish.
If you can’t look sharp and be sharp a without a wearable battle dress “closet,” and In conjunction with beards, it ain’t gonna make you sharp.
Bingo.
As a compromise, Streamlight ought to release a body that uses one CR123 rather than two, allowing for a thinner body that isn’t wider than the slide. That might at least reduce the space a foreign object can slip between. With USBC charging that shouldn’t have a huge effect on usefulness.
Streamlight model TLR 7A uses one(1) CR123.
This. But finding holsters for the TLR7 is a PITA. Ask my how I know…
Duty holster for it? Ugh. With an optic… you’re gonna need to do some serious research because your big name companies that you might think of, like Safariland, are not fans of the TLR7.
The remedy…
Get a real Sig… a 226 mark 25… or a 220 in 45 acp..with a single and double action trigger…
Meh…the 365 had flaws when it was released. It’s not just cops having “problems”.
Sounds like the gun was working as designed. Sig can’t design against a duty carrier not storing his cuffs properly, or using an improper holster.
There’s also the whole trend of wanting “match-grade” triggers in everything. That “lower weight, no creep, crisp break” trigger pull often comes at the cost of lighter springs and reduced sear engagement. A gun that’s less drop safe and easier to ND is the result.
Pistols for duty carry are supposed to remain factory but you never know.
This is primarily equipment choice. The Departments/people refuse to use a manual safety. Then put a gun with only a trigger in an ill-fitting holster(one that would not have been allowed before the weapon light craze). SIG gets sued since they have deep pockets, and the departments have qualified immunity. No one recounts all of the Glock problems, and adjusted manual of arms to overcome the hurt of police officers. The trend to omni holsters based on a light system will have this same effect, as only a pistol the same size as the light will be ‘safe’.
The Glock is double action only. The SIG is a single action. The pistol to police agencies is NOT the military M17. I would not carry a P320. There are two many proven pistols available. The light trigger makes the pistol easy to shoot well. That is the sum of the argument against the SIG P320.
I do not believe any story about any officer having an accidental shooting or discharge of their firearms.
The sheer number of incidents in involving the P320….more than any other model, or manufacturer…negates the excuses. The weapon is obviously flawed.
So an article defending SIG was written by an anonymous TTAG contributor? That just screams credibility.
MIM slop is still MIM slop, Sig PR flack. Odd that no other Sig model has had an AD in a holster while walking down stairs.
Checking back later, it still says 10 comments. That must be because those 10 were approved by staff. Let’s see how many comments are visible after I post this one.
The answer is 29. Crazy way to run a site.
Hey Dude, thanks for the comments. BTW: The renewal icon for this page on my computer has been unstable for 2 weeks. It flickers all the time. The flickering arrow in the circle only flickers on TTAG which is odd indeed. All of my comments have now been posted.
“The flickering arrow in the circle only flickers on TTAG“
The IT guys in the break room said it’s just a bug with the surveillance/tracking software.
Right now I see 30 comments before posting anything.
But my comment didn’t post
I don’t much care about Sig but I do note that there are a lot of ways to make a mistake with a pistol, regardless of make, model or type.
When you have a lot of stuff on you, the chances for mistakes to compound and cause a really bad day get higher. Is it a Sig issue? Maybe, but I kinda doubt it. Several of these stories involved a Sig but also something getting in the holster. Hand cuff arm, child’s finger etc.
One of the ways to deal with some of this is to make space. IMHO, these guys shouldn’t be running a LBV/PC/whatever rig with a belt-ride or “duty ride” holster strapped on their duty belt (see image in story). It’s too high and therefore too close to other things that can impinge on the firearm or get in the way of draw stroke etc. It’s just cluttered and that’s asking for trouble when the clutter is around your shootin’ iron.
I’d move the holster down, because that’s pretty much the only choice. Since old drop-legs suck, I’d go with something like the Holster Adapter from True North Concepts, which is solid AF, comfortable and works extremely well. You can even add a QLS fork system from Safariland and swap holsters on the fly.
Such a device gives you several options for height, from belt-ride to a lower ride than you can get from other systems without going all 1990’s Black Hawk Down drop-leg. An extra inch or two lets you get the gun out of the way where your handcuff arm can’t reach down into the holster.
Even if you’re not running a Sig, or a striker, they’re a good way to move things down to clear out some space and make the whole system work better for the end user.
All that said, I’d also examine what holsters you’re allowing for duty and which WMLs. I have zero problem with people running a WML on a pistol, in fact I think it’s not a bad idea provided that you also carry a flashlight for situations where you want a light but not a gun.
But some of the WMLs are annoyingly wide and will alter the holster in ways that may be allowing for object intrusion. A slimmer WML like a TLR7 would fix that, but then you run into the issue of holster availability for that pistol/light/possible optics.
This is an issue for everyone, especially if you’re looking for a IWB holster, but it’s an issue for OWB holsters as well. A lot of companies are making WML holsters for a lot of guns but only for 1-3 specific lights, like a TLR1/2 and a Surefire offering as well. Which means you might be picking your WML based on holster rather than setting up the pistol the way you want it. Obnoxious. Add an optics cut and choices get even slimmer. Double obnoxious. Then you’re going to have to consider “duty holsters” only for cops because I’m sure they can’t carry many of the offerings from a company like C&G.
Due to concealability issues a-changing I recently swapped from a USP45 as my long time EDC down to a VP9. Yikes what a nightmare. Finding holsters that accept a TLR7 and an optic is a royal PITA that took some time. Finding one that’s a hybrid IWB is, apparently, impossible since 100% kydex is the hotness these days because reasons.
Or maybe cops are just carrying way too much stuff. They carry a lot mor than I do and I’m regularly accused of potentially carrying plumping, electrical and framing supplies.
https://truenorth-usa.com/product/modular-holster-adapter/
An anonymous article that offers nothing but opinion. I’ll bet the writer was paid by Sig to say that!
I’ve followed the WA State Police Training Commission ban and nowhere — NOWHERE — have I seen them make this statement about handcuffs. Cuffs go in a separate pouch, and I’ve never EVER seen another officer have his cuffs half-hanging out so carelessly! I CALL BRAVO SIERRA!
This article smacks of Sig gaslighting its customers and the public AGAIN, blaming everything under the sun to distract from the fact that AT PRESENT, THERE ARE CLOSE TO 100 ACTIVE P320 LAWSUITS AGAINST SIG! Moreover, there has already been a handful of court judgments ruling AGAINST Sig! Where there’s smoke, there’s fire!!
I believe chassis guns are the future, but for me it will NEVER be a P320 on my side. I’ve already ordered a Springfield Echelon as an alternative. I may even get a Ruger RXM later this year. And for my Christmas present to myself, I’ll be getting a Sig MCX Spear because I’m not anti-Sig, just anti-P320.
“There’s a reason many shooters still prefer a powerful handheld for general use: more control, safer usage, and no need to muzzle-sweep everything in your field of view just to illuminate it.”
^^This.
Weapon mounted lights by their nature force you to violate one of the four rules. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
WML should never be the only light. They have a place, but only as a secondary light to a good handheld.
The solution is simple. Sig hire DebbieW and provide an instructional video on how to stick but plugs in the
trigger hole.
Heheeheee
It was always cops and Glocks in the 90’s. Now it’s always cops and P320’s.
Millions in the hands of sport shooters, recreational shooters, personal defense carriers and military. All over the world no less. And the troubles are always with Barney Fife.
Just get a Glock 17 and be done with it. Sig is garbage.
While I have to agree it’s possible something got in with holster to make it fire, if so that’s pretty much a issue for any precocked striker gun issue (read not Glock safe action trigger) that doesn’t have a safety.
Solution is to go to Glock, Glock clones prohibit Glock markman triggers or go back to DA hammer guns like sig 220-229, HK USP/45/p30/p2000, FN45, CZ 75, spend a bit more time on the rang and then there’s no problem
“Innovative” SiG cassette trigger was invented by French in 1935 for steel frame pistol. Polymer frames flex when fired and engagements change. Very simple answer. Watch uTube high speed video. Short pants, Pony tail SiG engineering…sometimes it’s within tolerance and sometimes it fires when jarred.
Don’t listen to ignorant former politicians. What could he possibly know?
Beretta, GLOCK, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, H und K, and any other manufacturers who lost out on obscenely profitable defense department munitions contracts endorse the anti-Sig message, probably.
Also, stop cosplaying as a stormtrooper to write speeding tickets.
This reeks of a Sig plant. If it was a holster issue we’d be seeing this with Glocks, M&Ps etc. And before someone wants to shout about “Glock leg” that was a training issue as cops were transitioning to striker fired guns decades ago. What the author is conviently leaving out, is it happening in the civilian world as well in concealed carry rigs with no WML. Poor research leads to poor articles.
Oh it’s definitely the gun. Sig is making a bad product and they’re trying to blame everything but their product. That said, there is something to be said about over loaded duty rigs. But this is not causing these NDs are not being caused by that.
What is it that makes this design especially susceptible to this kind of mishap?
Any firearm, especially one without a manual safety, will fire if a foreign object gets inside the trigger guard & enough force is applied to the trigger. There are a fair number of recorded incidents of this. Most of the ones I’m familiar with seem to involve Glocks — but I wouldn’t say that’s Glock’s fault. Sure, you can get a “New York trigger” for your Glock…but that only goes so far as a substitute for a quality holster & good handling/storage practices.
I do recall some incidents with a particular type of retention holster, where the unlock mechanism was operated by the trigger finger in such a way that a number of users inadvertently pulled the trigger while trying to draw — definitely a design issue but more of a problem with the holster.
The difference in design between the P320 and those other guns is that the P320 doesn’t have a trigger safety tab. If a foreign object is pressing against the trigger, a trigger safety tab could help in some of those circumstances.
Another stellar article by TTAG!
So…..that handcuff jumped into the pistol holster, snagged the trigger, then jumped back into place?
C’mon Siggies…..surely you can do better than that.
I realize I’m arguing from silence, but I’ve carried glocks and thier clones (shadow systems, others) for a long time with at least 3 different brands of holsters, no AD’s at all. Are handcuffs considered too much gear? I’ve not had a pair escape from four styles of cases yet either.
I think it’s the gun, not the user or the equipment. Can’t prove it, have never owned a Sig, but hundreds of reports about them should not go ignored.