Ideally, a firearm should never go off on its own. In fact, most guns are subject to something called a drop test. Even if a fully loaded firearm is dropped on the ground, it still shouldn’t discharge. Discharge is only supposed to happen when someone intentionally pulls a trigger.
Unfortunately, there are many stories of guns firing on their own. One example is the Sig Sauer P320 pistol. This is a very popular handgun in the United States. More than 80 people have now reported that the gun has fired on its own and injured them. And that doesn’t even count individuals who may have had the gun go off by itself without suffering an injury.
Are unintentional firings consumer mistakes?
One thing that gun manufacturers will sometimes allege, if consumers say that a gun fired on its own, is that that consumer must have made a mistake. Maybe the person accidentally pulled the trigger. But is this how it happens?
One man said that he had put his pistol into a holster on his belt. He then got dressed by putting on a shirt and reaching for his wallet. As he bent over, the gun fired while it was still in his holster. He couldn’t have touched the trigger or made a mistake, he claimed. Bleeding as he tried to walk toward the floor, he yelled for his wife to call for an ambulance.
Pursuing compensation
In a situation like this, someone who has suffered a serious gunshot injury may feel that they were sold a dangerous and defective product. The manufacturer should have designed the gun to meet safety regulations and only fire when the trigger was pulled. The consumer may also claim that the manufacturer should’ve taken steps more quickly once they realized the defect existed, rather than allowing dozens of people to suffer injuries.
To get compensation for such injuries, consumers will sometimes initiate a class action lawsuit. These legal actions are complicated. As a result, seeking legal guidance is generally advised for anyone who may benefit from learning more.