U.S. Soldiers Shot by Their Own SIGs – Military Says “No Big Deal”

It was just lunchtime on February 8, 2023, inside an Army office at Fort Eustis in Virginia. According to a report obtained by New Hampshire Public Radio’s Todd Bookman, a sergeant from the 221st Military Police Detachment stood chatting with his supervisor when another soldier tried to squeeze past. Their holsters bumped. That was it. A single clank – and the sergeant’s SIG Sauer M18 discharged straight into his own foot. The injury required surgery and half a year of rehab. “Don’t feel safe around those weapons anymore,” the wounded soldier later told investigators.

Not an Isolated Case

That Virginia shooting wasn’t a one-off. NHPR reports there have been at least nine similar incidents between September 2020 and June 2023. These unintentional discharges happened at military bases in Missouri, Virginia, Louisiana, and even overseas in Jordan. Some soldiers were shot during training exercises; others while simply carrying their holstered pistols. Redacted records from the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps confirm the pattern: SIG Sauer P320 pistols have gone off without anyone touching the trigger.

Sig Sauer’s Denials Don’t Budge

Despite the multiple injuries and reports from service members, SIG Sauer maintains its pistol is perfectly safe. Bookman noted that the company told NHPR it “has prevailed in 13 court cases” and denies any design flaw. However, they didn’t respond to NHPR’s specific questions about the individual incidents. The gunmaker claims the P320 line, including the M17 and M18 issued to the military, meets all safety standards, even after a Georgia jury recently awarded a civilian $2.3 million when his P320 fired while still holstered.

The Army’s Shrug

According to NHPR, the Army hasn’t found any “material flaws” in the P320 and continues to issue the gun to troops without restrictions. While they originally said SIG Sauer assisted in reviewing the incidents, the Army later walked that back, clarifying that the company wasn’t involved in any official investigation. When pressed, a spokesperson repeated that the pistols had undergone “rigorous testing” and passed. Still, at least six Army reports described soldiers being shot or injured, often without touching the trigger.

Okinawa Incident Raises Alarms

In one of the more troubling incidents, a Marine in Okinawa, Japan, was injured when his M18 discharged inside a guard booth, even though the gun’s safety was on. Surveillance footage reviewed by military investigators reportedly showed no mishandling. The Marine Corps did have the weapon inspected by professional armorers, who claimed it functioned as designed. Still, an investigator recommended “an engineering review,” suggesting even within the military, confidence is shaky.

Chicago Police Bans the P320

Gun rights YouTuber and competitive shooter Ben Stoeger provided new insight into this controversy with a deep dive into internal police documents from Chicago. In a February 2025 affidavit shared on his channel, the Chicago Police Department’s rangemaster detailed why the department banned the P320. After an officer with a spotless safety record experienced an unintentional discharge, the rangemaster began an investigation, contacting departments in Milwaukee and Washington State that had similar experiences, and ultimately ditched the gun.

More Departments Are Following Suit

Stoeger’s video highlights that Chicago isn’t alone. He names Denver PD and several unnamed departments that have also pulled the P320 from duty use. One training center in Washington reportedly banned it from police academies after an instructor witnessed a gun fire by itself during a class. Bodycam footage from Milwaukee showed at least two officers injured in separate P320 discharges while the guns were still holstered. According to Stoeger, these stories aren’t rumors – they’re backed by formal reports and firsthand accounts.

Intimidation from SIG?

Here’s where things take a sharp turn. Stoeger, speaking candidly in his video, claims that SIG Sauer’s legal team has sent what appear to be threatening letters to departments that chose to ban the P320. Though he couldn’t show the actual documents due to confidentiality, Stoeger says they warned that bans might “harm SIG’s reputation” and potentially violate state law. “It seems threatening,” he said, noting that police departments are no strangers to lawsuits and won’t be easily bullied. If true, this tactic may only further damage SIG’s public image.

SIG’s $580 Million Military Contract

So why is this all so significant? The P320 isn’t just another handgun – it’s the military’s official sidearm. The Department of Defense awarded SIG Sauer a $580 million contract in 2017 to replace the Beretta M9 with the P320, designated the M17 and M18 for full-size and compact versions. Nearly half a million of these pistols have been issued to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. And yet, reports of uncommanded discharges, both in civilian and military use, continue to pile up.

Too Many Stories to Ignore

Bookman’s article and Stoeger’s video together paint a picture that’s hard to ignore. SIG has settled multiple lawsuits, faced dozens of new claims, and watched major police departments walk away from their product. And yet, the official military stance remains unchanged. No active investigation, no product recall, no public warning. Meanwhile, officers and soldiers keep getting injured in eerily similar situations – many of them insisting they never touched the trigger.

When the Story Tells Itself

What’s most fascinating, and troubling, is how both the military and SIG Sauer seem to be sticking to the same script. “It’s user error,” they say. “Everything’s fine.” But when bodycam footage, eyewitness accounts, and sworn affidavits start stacking up, that explanation starts to wear thin. Even if only a fraction of these cases are truly untriggered discharges, that’s still too many for comfort. Guns should never fire without intent. And in this case, it’s not just theory – it’s wounded soldiers and cops.

A Crisis of Confidence

SIG Sauer’s biggest mistake might not be the design itself – it might be their response. Instead of directly addressing every incident, the company has opted for broad denials and silence on specifics. Worse, if Stoeger’s claims about legal threats are accurate, then SIG isn’t just defending itself – it’s actively discouraging scrutiny. That’s a dangerous move when trust is already broken. The P320 might pass tests in a lab, but in the real world, where lives are on the line, that’s clearly not enough.

The Gun That Shoots Back?

Whether you’re a soldier in the field or an officer walking a beat, the last thing you should fear is your own weapon. Yet the SIG Sauer P320 has reportedly discharged inside guard booths, during shift changes, and in the middle of conversations. Both Todd Bookman’s investigation for NHPR and Ben Stoeger’s exposé on law enforcement trends point to a common concern: this gun might have a mind of its own. And while the Army shrugs and SIG denies, those carrying these pistols are left to wonder… when’s the next “accident” going to happen?