Sig Sauer P320 [Review]: The US Army Chose It...Should You?

SIG SAUER P320 *** Canadian commandos' new 'secret' pistol not much of a secret. SIG SAUER P320. Canada's commandos are getting a new pistol but the exact type is now considered a state secret. Except to anyone, that is, who has access to the internet and can read details about the Canadian special forces' $680,425 purchase of the SIG Sauer P320 handgun. The ongoing saga of the now secret pistol started in November 2020 after a member of the counterterrorism unit, Joint Task Force 2, accidentally shot himself with a SIG Sauer P320 during training in Ottawa. Taxpayers had already spent $680,425 to buy the new guns and the commandos were in the process of familiarizing themselves with the weapons. The incident, which resulted in a flesh wound, prompted a temporary halt to Canadian special forces training with the P320, a development reported by CBC in February 2021. At the same time, SIG Sauer issued a statement noting it was "working with Canadian Special Operations Forces Command to resolve an incident involving the unintended discharge of a P320". The gun in question had been extensively tested and found to be safe, the firm noted. "The investigation revealed the use of an incorect holster not designed for a P320," SIG Sauer added in the statement. Fast-forward to last week when Canadian Special Operations Forces Command released a statement announcing it was now proceeding with bringing its new pistol into service. It acknowledged the original shooting incident but an investigation had deemed the new pistol to be safe and functioning properly. However, in a new twist, the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command declared the exact type of gun to be secret, despite statements and news articles identifying the pistol as the SIG Sauer P320. In response to questions from Postmedia News about the decision to now claim secrecy over the P320, the special forces said it has a policy not to disclose specifics about its weapons or capabilities. That claim, however, is false as Canadian special forces leaders have not only discussed with the news media specific equipment purchases but the command has released photos of that gear to the public. It's not the first time, however, that Canadian special forces has invoked secrecy in a bizarre way. In the late 1990s, JTF2 unsuccessfully tried to claim that if Postmedia News revealed the unit had purchased silverware for its dining facilities at its Dwyer Hill base, then the security of Canada would be threatened. Defence insiders are puzzled at why Maj.-Gen. Steve Boivin, head of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, is now claiming the SIG Sauer P320 pistols are secret when details of the purchase are public. Some suggest it could be a result of wanting to limit publicity over the embarrassment of a JTF2 soldier accidentally shooting himself (David Pugliese, NATIONAL POST, Tuesday, July 5, 2022).