A video showing the Sig Sauer P320 — the pistol design selected as the standard sidearm for the U.S. Army — discharging as it hit the ground divided the gun industry last week as many either hurled accusations at or tirelessly defended the gun maker. For its part, Sig reaffirmed its adherence to all industry safety standards in addition to offering a “voluntary upgrade” for the civilian P320.
With all the talk surrounding safety standards and whether or not the P320 fell through the cracks, it begs the question: what are the industry’s standards? To answer, we turn to the Sporting Arms Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute.
Founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government, SAAMI creates and promotes technical, performance and safety standards for firearms, ammo and their components. The organization is accredited as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute, the U.S. representative for the International Standardization Organization. SAAMI and ANSI together establish standards the gun industry uses as a baseline tool.
While manufacturers must volunteer to join SAAMI, which Sig has, membership requires following the organization’s regulations. The gun maker notably stated that the P320 design met SAAMI standards for drop testing, which requires the handgun — loaded with a primed case and magazine full of dummy rounds — fall 4 feet onto a 1-inch thick rubber mat backed by concrete at six specific, 90-degree angles to determine if the gun will discharge.While the design meets those standards, the video shows that the gun will discharge if it impacts the ground on the rear of the slide and frame when dropped at a 30-degree angle.
by Jacki Billings
