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Oxnard council approves $300,000 to replace department's standard‑issue handgun amid safety concerns
Summary
After extensive public comment and council debate, the City Council approved up to $300,000 to buy replacement duty pistols and retire the SIG Sauer P320 platform following reports of uncommanded discharges. Council required the Police Department to report back on the retired pistols' status in three years.
The Oxnard City Council voted 6‑0 on Oct. 7 to approve up to $300,000 from the city's general fund to buy replacement duty handguns after the department flagged safety concerns with its current SIG Sauer P320 (P320) pistols.
Assistant Chief Rocky Marquez told council the department's current standard‑issue SIG P320 pistols were purchased in 2017 and that recent reports of uncommanded discharges — incidents in which a pistol fires without an intentional trigger pull — have increased nationally this year. Marquez said law enforcement agencies and training facilities across the region have either prohibited the P320 on their ranges or are transitioning away from the model. The department recommended replacing the P320s with a Smith & Wesson M&P9 2.0 (or equivalent) after range testing of several manufacturers.
Council members and the public asked about injury reports, manufacturer recalls and the department's plan for retired weapons. Staff said some uncommanded discharges nationally have caused injury, and that an airman's fatality reported this year has sharpened attention nationwide; the department said it had not experienced an uncommanded discharge in Oxnard.
The council also discussed alternatives, including pursuing vendor buybacks, litigation, or manufacturer fixes. City staff explained that the city will store the retired P320 pistols securely as they may become evidence in potential future litigation, and that any recovered funds from a buyback or legal resolution would be returned to the general fund. After discussion, the council approved the purchase and added a requirement that the Police Department provide a status report to the council in three years about the retired pistols and whether any recovery, recall or other disposition is possible.
Ending: The police chief and budget staff said officers would be trained on the new platform and that the department would retain the retired pistols in secured inventory pending any future manufacturer action or legal developments. The council allocated the funding and directed staff to return with a report within three years on the status and any recovery or disposition options for the retired firearms.
