Mandatory Gun Locks – Coming Soon To A State Near You?
Firearms safety is every gun owner’s job – from knowing the four rules of gun safety to enacting the Own It/Respect It/Secure It mantra of NSSF’s Project Childsafe. With many states eyeing legislation (no fewer than 15 states have proposed legislation in the past year and another dozen or so with it already on the books) to mimic California’s state gun lock law, a number of manufacturers are offering solutions intended to prevent unauthorized access to firearms. We had a chance to visit with a few of them at SHOT Show 2018.
Traditional Firearm Security
Before we get into the new stuff, let’s cover the way we have been locking up firearms for ages. There are, obviously, the traditional safes (or, more likely, residential security containers), locking cabinets, and handgun lockboxes that prevent access to anyone without a key, combination, or approved biometric ID such as a fingerprint. While these options are often large and allow storage of multiple weapons, they can be pricey (although a few states subsidize the purchase of a gun safe with tax credits) and it can take extra time to reach and retrieve a weapon in the event of an emergency. Continue reading
Liberty Suppressors Announces Leonidas Integral Recall
Georgia-based Liberty Suppressors yesterday announced a recall on a portion of their Leonidas integral suppressor line:
Liberty Suppressors has noticed a problem with some of our Leonidas integral suppressors. The problem stems from a running change with the Seekins Precision iRMT-R upper receiver units.At some point in the last year, Seekins Precision made a running change to the style of retaining nut used on these uppers and we did not realize it, until today. If you have one of our Leonidas integrals with the barrel nut as shown below, please discontinue use of the upper and call us to get it returned and updated free of charge. Use of this upper in this condition could cause catastrophic failure. Please call us to get your upper updated immediately.
Please see the attached images for clarification of whether your upper is affected or not.
David Saylors
Liberty Suppressors Continue reading
Recall Issued for BTI Aftermarket M&P Rifle Lower Parts Kit
Battenfeld Technologies, Inc. (BTI) has announced a recall involving its M&P AR-15 Rifle Lower Parts Kit Complete, an aftermarket parts kit. This recall does NOT include and is not related to Smith & Wesson (S&W) factory produced complete M&P rifles.
The M&P AR-15 Rifle Lower Parts Kit Complete, identified as Item No. 110114, consists of the parts necessary to build a complete lower receiver for an AR-15 style modern sporting rifle. BTI is recalling all kits distributed prior to September 12, 2017, which do not exceed more than 4,700 kits. Kits sold during this time period may have been supplied with an incorrect hammer, which may lead to a failure of certain rifles to function as intended, including a potential risk of an unintended discharge. These kits were available for purchase online and through select retailers and distributors, including Turner’s Outdoorsman, Cabela’s, among others.
If you purchased a product advertised as an M&P AR-15 Rifle Lower Parts Kit Complete (Item No. 110114) during the referenced timeframe, please contact BTI at (877) 416-5167 or recall110114@btibrands.com to arrange for the return of your kit and the issuance of a replacement hammer. While you are awaiting the replacement hammer, any rifle assembled with an M&P AR-15 Rifle Lower Parts Kit Complete should NOT be used.
Details of Sig Sauer’s P320 “Voluntary Upgrade Program”
We’ll leave the discussion of Sig Sauer’s P320 issues, differences between the military contract pistols and those sold to consumers, the “I Told You Sos,” “What Were They Thinkings,” and the Recall vs Upgrade debates to our readers in the comments section below and on the GunLink Forums. There are now plenty of videos and discussions going on around the internet that most people by now know that the Sig Sauer P320 can be caused to fire unintentionally (that is, without an intentional, manual trigger pull) by being dropped at a certain angle or even by giving it a firm whack on the behind.
The company has temporarily suspended shipment of the P320 from the factory while they “ramp up to implement changes” related to the condition.
Sig announced last week that they would be issuing a voluntary upgrade to the P320 to address concerns and the details of that upgrade program -which will include “an alternate design that reduces the physical weight of the trigger, sear, and striker while additionally adding a mechanical disconnector” – are now available.
The official Upgrade Program page is up on the Sig Sauer website along with instructions on how to upgrade your pistol at no cost to you. Owners of affected pistols (US domestic commercial customers) may enter their serial number on the website to begin the upgrade process and then Sig “will contact you regarding the best method for you to get your P320 pistol to them.”
Sig continues to maintain that the P320 pistol is safe in its current configuration on the “voluntary upgrade” page, saying that their “mechanical safeties are designed to augment, not replace safe handling practices. Careless and improper handling of any firearm can result in an unintentional discharge.” Take from that statement what you wish, from a company selling defensive firearms that may be used by open or concealed carry practitioners and law enforcement officers, often in the worst of situations that may include physical confrontations and attacks, sweat, blood, dirt, darkness, and other less than ideal conditions.
This reminds me of the chair lift commercials on TV that advise the old folks to avoid breaking their hips with this weird old trick… “just don’t fall!” Just don’t drop or roughly handle your pistol and you won’t accidentally get shot by it; it’s just that easy! The company continues to go on about how they included (likely legally obligated) language in the user manual that it might go off if dropped.
Although the upgrade page says that MHS pistols are not effected, regular P320 pistols and X-series pistols are effected.
For details of the program, visit https://www.sigsauer.com/support/p320-voluntary-upgrade-program/
SIG SAUER Issues Voluntary Upgrade of P320 Pistol
P320 pistol meets requirements for industry and government safety standards; performance enhancements optimize function, safety, and reliability
Following what is turning into a flood of internet rumors, memes, videos of the P320 firing when dropped, and a statement last week from Sig Sauer reaffirming the safety of the p320, the company is issuing a “voluntary upgrade” of the pistol that was recently selected for use by the US Army, Air Force, and numerous law enforcement agencies.
The P320 meets U.S. standards for safety, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) / Sporting Arms Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), as well as rigorous testing protocols for global military and law enforcement agencies.
The design of the SIG SAUER P320 overcomes the most significant safety concern in striker-fired pistols today: the practice of pressing the trigger for disassembly. This can be performed with a round in the chamber which has resulted in numerous incidents of property damage, physical injury, and death. The disassembly process of the P320, however, uses a take-down lever rather than pressing the trigger, eliminating the possibility of discharge during the disassembly process.
Recent events indicate that dropping the P320 beyond U.S. standards for safety may cause an unintentional discharge.
As a result of input from law enforcement, government and military customers, SIG has developed a number of enhancements in function, reliability, and overall safety including drop performance. SIG SAUER is offering these enhancements to its customers. Details of this program will be available at sigsauer.com on Monday, August 14, 2017.
The M17 variant of the P320, selected by the U.S. government as the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), is not affected by the Voluntary Upgrade.
“SIG SAUER is committed to our approach on innovation, optimization, and performance, ensuring we produce the finest possible products,” said Ron Cohen, President and CEO of SIG SAUER. “Durability, reliability and safety, as well as end-user confidence in the SIG SAUER brand are the priorities for our team.” Continue reading
Sig Sauer: The P320 is Perfectly Safe
Sig Sauer’s new P320 – which won the XM17 bids for United States Army and Air Force Modular Handgun Systems and has been adopted by a number of relatively high-profile law enforcement outfits – has been facing some online heat as of late. The P320, which beat out offerings from Glock, FN, Beretta, and others, will become the US Military’s new M17 pistol to replace the Beretta M9 and Sig’s old P228 variant, the M11. The XM17 competition results were hotly contested by other manufactures, most notably Glock, who have challenged the results multiple times.
Amid internet buzz that individual owners and law enforcement armorers are concerned about how drop safe the new pistols are and which departments may or may not be abandoning the platform, Sig Sauer sent out the following release yesterday evening:
SIG SAUER Reaffirms Safety of P320 Pistol
Striker-fired pistol exceeds safety standards of ANSI/SAAMI and U.S. military testing
In response to social media rumors questioning the safety of the P320 pistol, a variant of which was selected by the U.S. government as the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), SIG SAUER, Inc. has full confidence in the reliability, durability and safety of its striker-fired handgun platform. There have been zero (0) reported drop-related P320 incidents in the U.S. commercial market, with hundreds of thousands of guns delivered to date.
The P320 meets and exceeds all U.S. standards for safety, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI), as well as rigorous testing protocols for global military and law enforcement agencies.
All SIG SAUER pistols incorporate effective mechanical safeties to ensure they only fire when the trigger is pressed. However, like any mechanical device, exposure to acute conditions (e.g. shock, vibration, heavy or repeated drops) may have a negative effect on these safety mechanisms and cause them to not work as designed. This language is common to owner’s manuals of major handgun manufacturers.
As a result, individual attempts to perform drop tests outside of professionally controlled environments should not be attempted.
“SIG SAUER is committed to producing only the finest products,” said Ron Cohen, President and CEO of SIG SAUER. “Safety and reliability have been and always will be paramount to the SIG SAUER brand.”
