LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – While major law enforcement and military outfits are pumping the brakes on the controversial SIG SAUER P320/M18 pistol, the Michigan State Police (MSP) is putting it into full gear.
In July, SIG SAUER announced with pride that the Michigan State Police had fully transitioned to the M18 as their standard-issue sidearm – despite the pistol being at the center of multiple lawsuits, linked to at least 80 reported injuries, banned by law enforcement agencies, and under an active pause by the U.S. Air Force’s Global Strike Command following a fatal incident at F.E. Warren Air Force Base involving an uncommanded discharge.
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The MSP began transitioning its officers from their department-issued Glock pistols to the M18s in April of 2024 with the full transition taking place this summer.
Red flags and red dots.
The M18, a military variant of the P320, was adopted as MSP’s standard-issue sidearm with red-dot optics and tactical lights. But the rollout happened as military and law enforcement agencies nationwide distanced themselves from the weapon amid safety concerns – most notably, claims of uncommanded discharges.
SIG SAUER denies these allegations, issuing a firm statement: “The P320 CANNOT, under any circumstances, discharge without the trigger first being moved to the rear.” The company points to testing by military, law enforcement, and independent labs as proof of the weapon’s safety.
When the gun you’re using is on ice across the country.
However, despite SIG SAUER’s assurances, the Air Force paused use of the M18 after the death of an airman and ordered a full inspection of its sidearms. ICE, according to a leaked July 9 memo, instructed agents to phase out the P320 following a series of accidental discharges and injuries. In fact, an ICE officer has a lawsuit pending against SIG SAUER over an accidental discharge.
Meanwhile, states including Washington have banned its use in police training. Additionally, law enforcement agencies including the Milwaukee Police Department and the Dallas Police Department have also discontinued using the pistols following unexpected discharges.
Litigation is also heating up. More than 100 incidents of unintentional discharges have been reported by civilians and law enforcement officers, with many lawsuits being dismissed but others resulting in multimillion-dollar verdicts.
Pausing vs. purchasing.
It was the MSP who reached out to the FBI for help after one of their own officers experienced an uncommanded discharge while the gun was holstered. In response, the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility (BRF) conducted detailed testing, revealing internal defects.
Still, MSP moved forward.
Silent confidence or costly gamble?
While other agencies are banning, freezing, or reconsidering the P320/M18, MSP is leaning in. Whether out of confidence, cost savings, or something else remains unclear. Michigan News Source reached out to the MSP to get more information about this decision and they did not respond to our request for comment.
As firearms expert and podcast host Dick Fairburn bluntly put it on his “Lock and Load” YouTube channel: “The evidence that the SIG SAUER P320 is suffering these uncommanded discharges is just too large to dismiss at this point. There are too many videos showing these pistols going off in holsters when they are not being subjected to any possibility of something getting into the holster or getting into that trigger.”
Up Next: PART TWO – The Testing, the Defects, and the Denials
How bad were the FBI’s findings, and what did SIG SAUER do next?
