➡ A federal judge has ordered the Chicago Police Department to stop using the Sig Sauer P320 pistol due to safety concerns. The gun has been linked to accidental discharges, even when not triggered. The judge’s ruling is pushing the department to speed up its transition to other approved firearms. However, the police union warns that this rushed change could lead to officers using unfamiliar weapons and potential logistical issues.
➡ A federal judge has ordered the Chicago Police Department to quickly stop using the SIGSauer P320 gun due to safety worries and lack of clear information. This decision could lead to similar actions in other cities and could impact the gun’s manufacturer, SIGSauer. The police union agrees the gun has problems but is concerned the judge’s order might create more issues. This situation raises questions about the power of courts to decide what equipment law enforcement can use and if this power could grow in the future.

In some major news, a federal judge just ordered a major city police department to stop carrying the six-hour P320 pistol. Wow. Hey everybody, welcome back to Guns and Gadgets, your home for Second Amendment news that the mainstream media doesn’t want you to know. Took a couple days off, was in New Jersey and New York City, so now I’m back to work. And I’ve got a big update out of Chicago and this one is making national headlines. The federal judge has just ordered the Chicago police department to stop using the six-hour P320 as a duty weapon.

The police union says that the ruling is likely to misfire. I think they intended the pun here. So what exactly happened? Now, why did a judge step in and tell one of the nation’s biggest police departments what guns their officers can and can’t use? And could this set a nationwide precedent for law enforcement firearms policies? Let’s break down what the court said, what the union’s warning about, and how this could affect gun owners, officers, and maybe even future Second Amendment battles. Before I dig deeper into it, a quick message from today’s sponsor, Patriot Mobile.

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The Sig Sauer P320 is one of the most popular handguns in the country, used by law enforcement, the military, and civilians. But it’s also been at the center of a lot of controversy for a lot of years. Multiple lawsuits and investigations have accused the P320 of firing without the trigger being pulled, often when dropped or bumped. In 2023, the Washington Post and the Trace published a major investigation documenting dozens of unintentional discharges linked to the P320 across this country. Now, inside the Chicago P320 as their duty sidearm. Earlier this year, CPD’s arsenal committee, that’s Chicago Police Department’s arsenal committee, which oversees the police department approved firearms, voted unanimously to start phasing the 320 out.

They gave officers until July 14th to make the switch to another approved handgun. And by mid-September, about 756 officers had completed that switch and another 780 had purchased new weapons but hadn’t finished the transition. Now that left a small group of officers, about a dozen, who hadn’t complied at all, most of them on leave or on suspension. So even before this week’s court order, the department was already in the middle of a messy, drawn-out transition away from the P320. Now, fast-forward to this week. The U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Palomayor issued a written order directing the Chicago Police Department to stop using the Sig Sauer P320 under certain conditions.

In her ruling, she said any officer who already has an alternative firearm must immediately stop carrying the P320 on duty. She also took issue with the city’s handling of the phase-out, saying that Chicago’s lawyers hadn’t clearly answered her questions about how many officers are still carrying the gun. A Judge Palomayor gave the city seven days to report back to the court. Specifically, she wants the exact number of officers still using the P320 and a concrete plan for when its use will completely end. Now, to be clear, the Judge didn’t issue a total ban, but her ruling essentially forces CPD to speed up things and make the transition mandatory for anyone who’s still hanging on to the 320.

Now, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, which represents Chicago’s officers, their union, actually supported removing the P320, but with a warning. They said the Judge’s decision is likely to misfire. And here’s what they mean by that. In a statement, the union said, and I quote, it is incredibly fortunate that to date no officer or citizen has been injured by an unintentional discharge of a P320. If such an injury were to occur, this will certainly create expensive and unnecessary litigation. In other words, they’re saying yes, the gun might pose a risk, but the way the court is forcing the transition could backfire in a few key ways.

First, some officers may be pushed to carry unfamiliar weapons without enough training or confidence in those new systems. Second, there are equipment and logistic problems at play here, things like compatible holsters, gear adjustments, and qualification schedules, of course. And third, there’s a morale issue. Officers feeling like their tools are being taken away by a court rather than their own department seem to have some in a tiff as well. Now, the union’s bottom line here is remove unsafe guns, yes, but do it carefully, not through what they see as judicial overreach.

So how did the police department respond? Well, so far Chicago PD hasn’t issued a detailed public statement about the ruling, but the court documents do reveal where things stand internally. According to CPD Rangemaster Sergeant Said, or SAID, Said, 1,540 officers were originally told to switch away from the P320. By September 15th, 756 had completed the switch, 780 were still mid-transition, and 12 hadn’t completed, and 12 haven’t complied at all because they were on leave or suspension. Now, that means hundreds of officers may still be carrying the P320 on active duty, and that’s exactly what the judge wants clarified.

She’s demanding a full accounting of who’s still using the gun and when that will end, all within this week. So while this is not a technical ban, we’ll say, it is a big league shove to the finish line to get the job done fast. Now let’s zoom out a little bit here. This ruling isn’t just about one gun model, it ties directly into Chicago’s broader federal consent decree. The court ordered reform process that CPD has been under since 2019. That decree requires the department to maintain safe and effective equipment for officers. A judge, Paul Meyer, is essentially saying, if this pistol has a documented history of unintentional discharges, then it’s not safe, and the department may be violating that decree by keeping it in service.

Meanwhile, Chicago’s own numbers show that use of force incidents have been trending upwards. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of times CPD officers pointed their guns at people jumped 44%, from under 3,000 incidents to over 4,200 incidents. And in more than half of those cases, the person didn’t have a gun. So when you combine those statistics with safety concerns about the weapon itself, the judge is clearly connecting the dots. Officers are pointing guns more often, the guns in question may be defective, and that’s a legal and a public safety problem. So what does this mean going forward? Well, on one hand, the ruling could prevent accidental discharges from and save the city from lawsuits.

Right? That’s a possibility. It also puts pressure on other departments across the country that still use the P320 to take another look at their policies. But on the other hand, there are serious practical concerns here, forcing a quick change can hurt officers’ readiness. It takes time to retrain, re-qualify, and get comfortable with the new firearm. Let me clarify that a little bit. In police academies, recruit officers, rookies get 40 hours of firearms training. 40. That’s a week. If you can’t get people off the road for a week to retrain them, the problem’s pretty big in that department.

So there’s just that food for thought there. There’s also the cost factor. New guns, new holsters, new maintenance cycles. And if the court continues to dictate what firearms are acceptable, that could open the door for more judicial control over police department operations, which is a very slippery slope. Some critics are already calling this judicial overreach, arguing that equipment decisions should be made by the department and its training experts, not by some judge on a bench. What do you think? Sound off down below. But still, as of right now, the order stands, and CPD has just a few days left to comply.

So here’s what to watch in the coming days and maybe weeks. One, the city’s report back to the court. It’s going to be big. We’ll find out exactly how many officers are still using the P320 and how quickly the department plans to finish the switch. Like I said, they could get those people in off the street and into a week’s training if they really, really worked on it. Yeah, you have to cover people’s shifts and stuff, but it’s doable. Two, whether CPD or the union appeal this decision or ask for more time.

Three, whether this sparks similar actions in other cities or police agencies that still use the same pistol. And finally, how will this affect SIGSauer itself? If more departments start abandoning the P320, what could have big implications for this company and its civilian owners is people dropping the gun. So even if the civilian model is technically slightly different, it’s still an issue for SIG. So wrap this up. A federal judge has just ordered the Chicago Police Department to accelerate its removal of the SIGSauer P320 citing safety concerns and a lack of transparency.

The police union agrees that the gun has issues but warns that the judge’s order could cause more problems than it solves. This is one of those stories that it’s about much more than one pistol. It’s about how far the courts can go in dictating law enforcement equipment and whether that kind of power could expand in the future. Why do I say that? Well, there’s three branches of government and the judicial branch doesn’t cover enforcement of law. They cover interpretation of law. So this in effect is one of the three branches of government dictating how the second branch works.

That’s not how this country was supposed to work. If you found this breakdown helpful, hit the like button, subscribe to the channel. It’s free, won’t cost you anything, and ring the bell so you don’t miss the next update here on Guns and Gadgets. I really want to hear from you. If you are a law enforcement officer or a firearms instructor, what do you think? Have you seen issues with these? Have you seen them? Not have you heard or have you seen me report on them? Have you seen any in your department or on your range? And should a judge have this kind of authority? Or should equipment decisions stay inside the department? Drop your thoughts in the comments down below.

I can’t wait to read them, especially if some of you have firsthand witnessing of incidents. I’ll be watching this one closely, and you can bet there will be a follow-up as soon as that city report comes out. So make sure you’re subscribed to the channel. Thank you for watching, and as always, stay tuned, stay free, and stay safe. God bless America. Take care. you
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