TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jan 14, 2026

The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) officers exclusively carry the the SIG SAUER P320 handgun. Critics of the gun, including plaintiffs’ attorneys and some law enforcement advocates, argue it is inherently defective, citing more than 100 lawsuits nationwide and accounts of alleged unintentional discharges that occurred without the trigger being pulled. They point to the gun’s pre-cocked design, short trigger pull and lack of external safeties on some models, noting that juries have sided with injured users and some police departments have moved away from the weapon. SIG SAUER and the KPD counter that the P320 meets or exceeds all safety standards, has been extensively tested and has performed reliably in KPD’s rollout, with officers firing more than 350,000 rounds without incident. Organizations like the Fraternal Order of Police say they are closely monitoring the gun's use for officer safety. WVLT Channel 8 has the story.