US military investigating whether its new pistol can malfunction and fire ‘uncommanded' after death of Air Force guard
The Sig Sauer M18, the military version of the popular Sig P320 handgun, has been at the forefront of multiple lawsuits alleging that the weapon can fire unprompted.
It's now been pulled from standard use at several facilities after a security service member was killed on Sunday at the FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, when the gun discharged, officials said.
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Air Force Global Strike Command issued the 'stand down' order to all of its units until officials at their bases can investigate all of their M18s for any 'safety concerns.'
4 Air Force Global Strike Command pulled the SIG Sauer M18 pistols from all their bases after one of the guns discharged and killed a security forces member on Sunday.
U.S. Air National Guard/Staff Sgt. Jesse Hanson
'We want to make sure there's nothing wrong with the weapon,' an Air Force official told the Washington Post.
The exact circumstances of the weapon firing were not released.
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The Army, Navy and Marine Corps have said they were reviewing the incident as well.
Following the deadly incident, SIG Sauer, the manufacturer of the pistol, expressed its condolences to the service members and families impacted by the shooting.
'We have absolute confidence in the military's ability to conduct a thorough investigation and are working with the Air Force and Army to answer any of their questions,' the company said in a statement.
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4 The M18 has served as the Air Force's primary pistol since 2019, but the gun is at the center of dozens of lawsuits alleging that the weapon fires without its trigger ever being pulled.
U.S. Air Force photo by Vicki Stein
The M18 became the standard use pistol in the Air Force in 2019, replacing the M9 (Beretta 92) that the military had been using for more than 30 years.
The shooting comes just weeks after an FBI report echoed years-long concerns about the Sig P320-series pistols.
The FBI's Ballistic Research Facility opened a probe into the firearm series at the behest of Michigan State Police when a trooper pistol discharged 'uncommanded' last year.
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4 The deadly shooting took place at the FE Warren Air Force Base, in Wyoming,
U.S. Air Force/Airman Nicholas Rowe
'According to the MSP motor officer's statement and the statements of others present, at no time was the trigger pressed intentionally or inadvertently,' the report stated.
Days after the FBI report became public, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials issued a ban on the use of the Sig P320 pistols for its agents.
The Sig pistols were also at the center of a 2023 investigation by the WaPo and The Trace, a group that monitors gun violence, finding that more than 100 people have reported their handgun's suddenly firing without anyone ever pulling the trigger.
4 SIG Sauer denies all allegations regarding its P320 series pistols, of which the M18 is a member of.
U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sade Anita Wallace
Sig Sauer has faced a mountain of lawsuits over such cases in the US, with at least 77 filed in New Hampshire alone.
The company has long refuted the allegations, asserting that its brand is being attacked by anti-gun groups and 'the mainstream media.'
'The P320 CANNOT, under any circumstances, discharge without a trigger pull — that is a fact,' the company said in a statement back in March.
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'Claims that unintended discharges are anything more than negligent handling and/or manufactured lies to support anti-gun, anti-SIG agenda are false,' the manufacturer added, claiming that several lawsuits have been dismissed around the nation.
It also say that investigators have never been able to replicate 'uncommanded fire' incidents with the weapons.
With the M18 temporarily pulled from the Air Force Global Strike Command bases, officials have ordered its units to use the M4 rifle in the meantime.
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