10-16-2025 1:18pm

New Jersey Sues Sig Sauer Over Handgun That Fires on Its Own, Killed Officer

Chris Connors Editor

The state seeks a mandatory recall of the P320 pistol, alleging the firearm fires without trigger contact and has injured or killed multiple people, including a New Jersey detective.

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, alongside the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Office and the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), has filed a lawsuit against Sig Sauer, Inc., alleging that the company’s P320 handgun poses a serious public safety risk due to its documented history of unintentional discharges.

The civil complaint, filed in the New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division, demands a statewide recall of the Sig Sauer P320 at the company’s expense. It also seeks to halt further sales of the firearm in the state and to stop the company’s marketing campaign, which the lawsuit describes as “false and deceptive.”

The P320, launched in 2014, is a semi-automatic pistol advertised by Sig Sauer as offering "enhanced safety" despite lacking an external safety or decocking lever. According to the State, however, the firearm’s internal safety mechanisms are insufficient. Investigators assert that the gun can fire without a trigger pull during routine handling—while holstered, while being cleaned, or during normal physical movement.

Deaths and Injuries in New Jersey

The lawsuit highlights multiple cases across New Jersey where law enforcement officers and civilians were injured by unintentional discharges of the P320. The most serious incident cited occurred on April 8, 2023, when Detective Lieutenant Walter Imbert of the Orange Police Department, a decorated Army veteran and firearms instructor, was fatally shot when his P320 discharged while he was cleaning it. According to evidence from the scene, his finger was not on the trigger.

Other incidents involving New Jersey agencies include:

West Orange, Montville, Phillipsburg, and Howell police departments
The Atlantic County and Camden County Prosecutor’s Offices
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

“We ask law enforcement officers to put their life on the line every single day to protect the public. Gun manufacturers have a moral duty to ensure that those brave officers are not put in harm’s way because of defective weapons,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Officers, as well as civilians, in New Jersey and across the country have suffered immense harm as a result of Sig Sauer’s actions and brazen deceptions, which is why we are filing this lawsuit today. No one is above the law — and if you break our laws, we will hold you accountable.”

Alleged Design Flaws and Military Discrepancies

The State’s complaint emphasizes that the P320, when loaded with a round chambered, is fully cocked and held in check only by an internal safety lock. This mechanism, according to the lawsuit, can disengage unintentionally due to minor bumps, vibrations, or routine physical motion—even when the firearm is holstered.

A U.S. Army evaluation in 2016–2017 reportedly found the P320 unacceptably unsafe without an external safety, and the military required modifications to include a manual thumb safety in its own variants, known as the M17 and M18. However, the civilian and law enforcement models sold by Sig Sauer generally do not include this feature, the lawsuit notes.

Despite this difference, Sig Sauer continues to market the P320 as the “Official Sidearm of the U.S. Military,” allegedly without disclosing the military's safety modifications.

“In any other industry, when a product causes severe injuries and deaths, its manufacturer would swiftly investigate and issue a recall,” said SAFE Director Ravi Ramanathan. “Instead of doing the right thing, Sig Sauer chose to double down and blame victims for the P320’s flaws. That indefensible choice puts the public and our law enforcement at risk, and we will hold Sig Sauer accountable for it.”

State Legal Claims and Consumer Protections

New Jersey argues that Sig Sauer’s statements—such as the claim that the P320 “won’t fire unless you want it to”—are false, violating both the Consumer Fraud Act and the Firearms Industry Public Safety Law enacted in 2022.

The lawsuit demands:

A mandatory recall of all P320 handguns sold in New Jersey
An end to sales and marketing of the P320 as safe from unintentional discharge
Restitution and damages to victims and state agencies
A halt to deceptive advertising practices by Sig Sauer

The State is represented by attorneys from the Division of Law’s Special Litigation and Consumer Fraud Prosecution sections.

Broader Public Safety Context

Multiple police departments across the country have ceased using the P320 due to its alleged safety risks. These include agencies in Denver, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Milwaukee, as well as state and transit authorities in Oregon, Washington, and Connecticut.

New Jersey’s lawsuit is the latest in a broader strategy by the SAFE Office, established in 2022, to hold gun manufacturers accountable for unsafe products and deceptive marketing. Recent actions include litigation against Glock, FSS Armory, and multiple retail gun dealers for alleged violations of firearm safety and consumer protection laws.

According to State Police data cited by the Attorney General’s Office, shooting incidents in New Jersey have declined by over 25 percent through August 2025 compared to the previous year, and fatal shootings are down more than 35 percent, coinciding with increased enforcement actions by the SAFE Office and its partner agencies.

Next Steps

The court will now consider the State’s request for injunctive relief and a formal recall. Sig Sauer has not yet publicly responded to the filing. As with all civil actions, the allegations in the lawsuit represent claims by the State and do not constitute findings of legal liability unless proven in court.