Accidental firing history of Alex Pretti’s handgun may explain Border agent shooting, experts say

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Alex Pretti was shot and killed during an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 24. He was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer P320 9-millimetre handgun, a common gun that has been linked to accidental firings in the past.

Some experts think the gun could have accidentally gone off by mistake, after a Border Patrol agent took it, possibly causing another agent to open fire. Pretti was very much upset about the immigration crackdown.

Officials said the incident began when Pretti tried to step in while federal agents were arresting a woman on the street. He was legally carrying a Sig P320 from Sig Sauer, a gun that had past safety issues.

History of accidental firing in the Sig P320 comes into focus after Alex Pretti was shot

The handgun Alex Pretti was carrying has a known history of firing by mistake, which may explain what led to his death during a confrontation with federal agents. Pretti was carrying a Sig Sauer P320, a popular handgun used by civilians and ICE. The model has been linked to more than 100 complaints claiming it can fire without the trigger being pulled.

Video from the scene shows a federal agent shouting 'gun' before grabbing the weapon from Pretti. Seconds later, another agent suddenly stands up and fires multiple shots. After the shooting, officials shared a photo of Pretti’s gun with a full magazine. According to the New York Post, it was a P320 AXG Combat, which comes with three 21-round magazines and sells for $1,100 to $1,300.  

Rob Doar, a lawyer for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, believes the first shot may not have been intentional. He said the gun likely fired after it was taken from Pretti, which may have caused the second agent to act quickly. Doar wrote, “I believe it’s highly likely the first shot was a negligent discharge from the agent in the grey jacket after he removed the Sig P320 from Pretti’s holster while exiting the scene.”

Past lawsuits and complaints raise concerns over the Sig Sauer P320 

The Sig Sauer P320 has faced repeated legal and public scrutiny over the years, following several incidents where the gun was accused of firing without warning.

One of the most high-profile cases came in November 2021, when a Philadelphia jury awarded US Army veteran George Abrahams $11 million. Abrahams was seriously injured after his holstered P320 discharged while he was walking down a flight of stairs, leaving him with permanent damage to his leg.

Sig Sauer strongly defended the handgun at the time. The company described the P320 as 'among the most tested, proven, and successful handguns in recent history,' and maintained that it met safety standards.

Concerns about the weapon began earlier. In 2017, Sig Sauer introduced a Voluntary Upgrade Program that allowed owners to modify or replace their pistols. The update was meant to address drop firing issues, a problem in which the gun could fire if dropped at a certain angle.

Sig Sauer later faced a large consumer lawsuit. In 2020, the company reached an agreement called the Hartley class action settlement. It applied to owners of P320 pistols made before August 8, 2017, who reported internal problems when the gun was fired.

The settlement allowed owners to recover past repair costs and provided a lifetime warranty for cartridge failures. It also continued the gun's upgrade program. However, the agreement did not offer money for people who were injured by gunshots and did not deal with claims that the gun could fire without the trigger being pulled.

After facing many complaints and lawsuits, Sig Sauer said it fixed the problem with the P320. The company also says accidental firings are very rare, especially since millions of these guns have been sold.

In April 2025, a New Hampshire law backed by Sig Sauer executive Bobby Cox protected the company from certain P320 lawsuits.