Air Force unit suspends use of Sig Sauer pistol after shooting death of airman

[Jilly_in_VA]

A major division of the U.S. Air Force is immediately suspending use of a gun made by New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer, following a fatal shooting on a Wyoming base over the weekend.

The general in charge of the Air Force Global Strike Command, which comprises more than 33,000 personnel, said in a memo on Monday that he would be pausing the use of Sig Sauer’s M18 pistol immediately pending a “comprehensive review” of the weapon.

A spokesperson confirmed the pause on the weapon is directly related to the death on Sunday of an airman at F.E. Warren Airforce Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A statement on the base’s website provided few details about the fatality, and said the airman’s name was being withheld pending notification of his family.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a valued member of our Mighty Ninety team,” said Col. Terry Holmes, a commander at the base. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the Airman’s family, friends, and his fellow Defenders during this incredibly difficult time.”

A Pentagon spokesperson for the Air Force acknowledged the ongoing review of the M18 within the Global Strike Command, but didn’t say whether that investigation may expand to other units within the U.S. military that carry the pistol

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-07-23/sig-sauer-pistol-air-force-shooting-death

Quick on the trigger?

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. When a post read Wyoming AFB, I knew it was FE Warren

In Cheyenne.

My husband and I stayed there several times. It is a Missile Base. The original buildings go back to the 1880's when it was an Army Fort. On the grounds are buildings that once housed stables for Calvary Horses, row houses for Troops as well as Officers barracks.. Since then, improvements were made when the US Air Force took it over.

[sop]

2. There have been numerous law suits over accidental discharges with the Sig P320 (civilian version of M18).

[bottomofthehill]

3. To the Air Force

Get a Glock. This has been an ongoing problem with the Sig P320 for a long time. Glocks are near idiot proof.

[dalton99a]

4. Facing a wave of P320 lawsuits, Sig Sauer asked for immunity. NH lawmakers granted it.

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-05-28/sig-sauer-p320-pistol-gun-weapon-trigger-pull-safety-lawsuits-liability-immunity-new-hampshire

Facing a wave of P320 lawsuits, Sig Sauer asked for immunity. NH lawmakers granted it.
New Hampshire Public Radio | By Todd Bookman
Published May 28, 2025 at 4:28 PM EDT

The new law has drawn pushback from people who've been injured from unintentional firings of their Sig Sauer pistols.

Back in April, in a nearly empty room at the New Hampshire State House, Bobby Cox, an executive with gunmaker Sig Sauer, had come with a request.

He said his company, one of the biggest gun manufacturers in the country and a major employer on New Hampshire’s Seacoast, needed protection. Specifically, Sig Sauer wanted state lawmakers to shield it from a barrage of liability lawsuits that allege the company’s best-selling P320 pistol has an inherent safety defect.

“We want to bring this amendment to you to show what out-of-state plaintiffs’ attorneys are doing, attacking in-state businesses,” Cox told a Senate committee. “And we ask for your support and help.”

Over the past few years, Newington-based Sig Sauer has been sued dozens of times by gun owners who were shot by their own P320s, including police officers and federal agents, and who claim the gun’s design — and its lack of an external safety — make the company liable for injuries.

Sig Sauer has denied the weapons are unsafe and has been fighting the lawsuits in court. But over the past few weeks, the company has used its influence as one of the state’s largest manufacturers to change New Hampshire law to protect itself from future liability lawsuits. The measure Cox was advocating for swiftly cleared the Legislature, without any notice for public comment. Last week, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed the bill — one day after it cleared its final vote — despite objections from some Democrats, as well as lawyers and injured plaintiffs who say the company should be forced to defend the claims in court. The speed with which the bill moved through the State House underscores both Sig Sauer’s desire to cut off future costly lawsuits, and the company’s sway in a Legislature run by a gun-friendly Republican Party.

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