New Jersey has officially declared legal war on Sig Sauer, one of the world’s most prominent firearm manufacturers.
As reported by Diana Novak Jones of Reuters, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed a sweeping 59-page lawsuit on Thursday accusing the gunmaker of selling defective P320 pistols that can allegedly fire on their own – without anyone pulling the trigger.
The complaint, filed in Sussex County Superior Court, seeks to ban sales of the pistol in New Jersey and force Sig Sauer to recall every single P320 in the state.
According to Platkin, the company has long known about the gun’s alleged defect but continued to market it as one of the safest handguns on the market. “Sig Sauer has endangered law enforcement and the public alike,” Platkin said at a press conference announcing the suit.
The Gun at the Center of the Storm
The Sig Sauer P320 isn’t an obscure firearm. It’s one of the most widely used handguns among both law enforcement and civilians. Versions of it – the M17 and M18 – are even standard issue for the U.S. military.
But as Reuters reported, New Jersey’s lawsuit claims that the civilian and law enforcement models lack the external safety mechanisms included in those military versions. The complaint argues that the P320’s fully cocked striker design allows it to fire if jarred, dropped, or even slightly jostled.
That design, according to the lawsuit, means “the pistol is always ready to fire once a round is chambered,” relying on weak internal safeties that can fail during normal handling. The alleged result? Guns that can discharge from mere movement.
A Pattern of Tragic Incidents
The lawsuit cites multiple cases of New Jersey law enforcement officers being injured—and one killed – when their P320 sidearms discharged unexpectedly.
As detailed by Reuters, the most disturbing incident occurred in April 2023, when Detective Lieutenant Walter Imbert of Orange, New Jersey, was fatally shot while preparing to clean his P320. The weapon allegedly fired without any trigger pull.
Jared Yanis, host of Guns & Gadgets: 2nd Amendment News, outlined several similar incidents in his coverage, including a Howell Township officer shot in the leg during a training session and a West Orange officer injured when his holstered pistol discharged.
“These aren’t isolated accidents,” Yanis said. “The lawsuit claims it’s a pattern of gruesome regularity.”
The attorney general’s office argues that these cases reflect a systemic design flaw, not user negligence. Platkin’s complaint asserts that Sig Sauer knew about these problems for years – dating back to 2016, when the U.S. Army reportedly flagged the issue during handgun safety trials.
Sig Sauer Denies the Claims
Sig Sauer, based in New Hampshire, has consistently denied that the P320 fires without the trigger being pulled. In past litigation, the company has blamed operator negligence, arguing that improper handling or modifications caused accidental discharges.
Company representatives did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
But Sig Sauer has previously insisted that the P320 meets or exceeds all industry safety standards and has been “chosen by militaries and police forces worldwide for its reliability.”
The company has faced dozens of lawsuits over similar claims, both from law enforcement officers and civilians. Some of those cases have resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements, while others remain ongoing.
“Safety Without Compromise”?
According to Jared Yanis, the state’s complaint also focuses heavily on marketing deception. New Jersey’s lawsuit points to slogans such as “Safety Without Compromise” and “The P320 won’t fire unless you want it to” as misleading.
“The AG is saying that those ads were flat-out false,” Yanis explained. “Even after hundreds of incidents and lawsuits, Sig kept telling the public the gun was safe.”
The lawsuit even references the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility, which allegedly found that small physical movements – like sitting, walking, or reholstering – could cause the internal striker to disengage. If that happens, a simple jolt could send the firing pin forward and discharge the weapon.
Yanis added that competing handguns, such as models from Glock and Smith & Wesson, include trigger safeties or double-action systems to prevent similar incidents. “Sig chose not to,” he said. “That’s the state’s main argument – that they ignored known safety features to push a more marketable design.”
Legal Stakes and Potential Fallout
The lawsuit, formally titled New Jersey v. Sig Sauer, seeks sweeping remedies. According to Reuters, it demands:
- An immediate ban on P320 sales in New Jersey
- A mandatory statewide recall of all P320 handguns
- Restitution and damages for injuries and deaths
- Civil penalties under New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act and the Firearms Industry Public Safety Law
If successful, this case could become the first major government-led lawsuit targeting Sig Sauer over the P320.
“This isn’t just about one company,” Jared Yanis warned. “It’s about how anti-gun states are using consumer protection laws as a backdoor to regulate the firearms industry.”
Platkin, however, framed it differently. He said the case is about corporate responsibility. “Gun companies have to be held accountable when they put dangerous products into the hands of our officers and citizens,” he stated.
A Divided Reaction
Reactions across the gun community have been mixed. Many law enforcement officers have already distanced themselves from the P320, with departments in Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and Milwaukee reportedly pulling the pistol from duty use.
At the same time, many shooters continue to swear by the gun’s accuracy, ergonomics, and reliability.
Yanis said that whenever he covers Sig Sauer lawsuits, “the comments are split down the middle – half say the gun is flawless, half say it’s dangerous.”
The debate has also taken on a political tone. Gun-control advocates see New Jersey’s action as a bold step toward holding manufacturers accountable, while Second Amendment supporters view it as another example of “gun control through litigation.”
The Bigger Picture
It’s no coincidence that this case comes amid a wave of lawsuits against gunmakers under public nuisance and consumer fraud theories – legal pathways revived in several blue states after federal immunity laws limited traditional product-liability claims.
New Jersey’s move may inspire others. If Platkin succeeds in proving Sig Sauer sold a “defective” gun while misleading consumers, it could set a precedent for using state-level consumer laws to sidestep national protections for the firearms industry.
But there’s another side to the story. The P320 is also one of the most heavily field-tested handguns in modern history, adopted by the U.S. military and thousands of police agencies.
If the gun truly fires on its own, as alleged, the implications would be catastrophic – not just for Sig Sauer, but for every agency carrying one.
At this stage, the facts remain contested. Sig insists the P320 is safe. The state says it’s a ticking time bomb. Somewhere in between lies the truth – and potentially, a major shift in how firearm manufacturers are held accountable.
For more info, check out the Reuters article here, and the Guns & Gadgets video here.
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A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
