SALEM, Ore. — Firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer is suing the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training over its decision to ban the company’s P320 handgun and its variants from law enforcement training courses and facilities, the Statesman Journal reported.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 12 in Marion County Circuit Court, seeks to overturn the agency’s decision and recover economic damages, according to the report. Sig Sauer alleges the ban was “improper, arbitrary and capricious,” and based on “unverified, vague, hearsay allegations.”
The ban stems from a June 13 letter issued by DPSST Director Phil Castle to police agencies statewide. Castle cited findings from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, which launched an investigation after a 2024 incident in Spokane. During a training exercise, a recruit’s P320 allegedly discharged as he drew the weapon, sending a bullet into the concrete and causing shrapnel injuries to an instructor and another recruit.
Witnesses said the recruit’s finger was not on the trigger when the gun fired. WSCJTC later prohibited the use of the weapon following the incident, citing safety concerns.
The P320, which has been widely adopted by U.S. law enforcement and military agencies, has faced controversy in recent years. A joint investigation by The Trace and The Washington Post documented over 100 alleged cases of the firearm discharging without the trigger being pulled.
Sig Sauer maintains that the P320 meets or exceeds industry safety standards and argues that all incidents were due to improper handling, not design flaws. In its Oregon lawsuit, the company argues the ban unfairly restricts recruits from training with a firearm they may be issued in the field and has caused reputational and financial harm.
A similar legal challenge by Sig Sauer in Washington was denied by a judge in June.
DPSST has not publicly commented on the pending litigation.
