The recall announcement comes days after a $6 million lawsuit was filed against Sig Sauer by Vincent Sheperis, a police officer in Stamford, Connecticut, who claims his holstered P320 pistol fell to the ground and accidentally discharged, according to News 12 Connecticut.
The bullet hit Sheperis just below the left knee, penetrating the tissue and part of the tendon before becoming stuck “protruding from his leg,” the lawsuit states. Sheperis has been forced to undergo multiple surgeries and was put on light duty as a result of the incident.
“Because it [the firearm] was holstered, the trigger was protected from any movement upon impact with the ground, in addition to the protection provided by the pistol’s own trigger guard and internal safeties which failed to prevent the weapon from firing,” the complaint alleges.
Following the incident, the Stamford Police Department removed all Sig Sauer P320s from department use. Sheperis’ lawsuit also included 11 other instances where Sig Sauer firearms were alleged to have unitentionally discharged when dropped.
Melinda Gutierrez, Sig Sauer’s public information officer, offered the following statement in response to the allegations:
“Recent events indicate that dropping the P320 beyond U.S. standards for safety may cause an unintentional discharge. As a result of input from law enforcement, government and military customers, SIG has developed a number of enhancements in function, reliability, and overall safety including drop performance.”
The gunmaker said the U.S. Army’s M17 Modular Handgun System, which is identical to the P320 with the exception of featuring a manual thumb safety, is not affected by the recall.
Source: The Blaze