PEICharlottetown police officers can choose to go back to using their former service handgun model following a recent incident where an officer’s gun went off while still in its holster. Currently 3 out of 72 officers have exchanged their gun to use a former modelTaylor O’Brien · CBC News · Posted: Sep 16, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 16Interim Charlottetown Police Chief Jennifer McCarron says officers have been given the choice to switch out their SIG Sauer P320 handgun after an officer’s gun went off while still in its holster (Jane Robertson/CBC)Charlottetown police officers can choose to go back to using their former service handgun model following a recent incident where an officer’s gun went off while still in its holster. Interim Charlottetown Police Chief Jennifer McCarron told CBC News that officers were given the option to trade in their SIG Sauer P320 if they felt uneasy using the weapon after the misfire, which happened Sept. 4.The RCMP is currently investigating the incident. “We put that option out there after the incident, that if they were uncomfortable, they could go back to the older model gun that we had previously,” McCarron said.She said three out of 72 Charlottetown officers have opted to trade in their P320 and return to using the Beretta Storm.’Officer safety is paramount’McCarron said the gun going off while holstered is a serious concern. “Officer safety, of course, is paramount,” she said. “It’s the first thing we worry about, and I guess depending on what the outcome of the investigation is, then we’ll pivot to do what we have to do here.”Out of 72 Charlottetown police officers, three have traded in their SIG Sauer P320 for the Beretta Storm, which is the model the force previously used. (Ken Linton/CBC)The RCMP previously told CBC News that investigators had ruled out any criminality in the case.The focus is on the weapon itself. In fact, the SIG Sauer P320 has been in the spotlight for alleged safety concerns. The gun is the subject of a number of lawsuits and counter-lawsuits involving its manufacturer.A spokesperson for the Charlottetown Police said the P320 was selected through a Request for Proposal process, and that the model “aligned with the specifications that were prescribed.”The force has a total of 79 P320 handguns and has made three purchases, with the first one made in June 2022.The Blackhawk holster officers use with the P320 model was selected at the same time, the spokesperson said, adding that it was recommended by the vendor.The spokesperson said they have been informed by the gun supplier that a number of jurisdictions use the P320, including police forces in Saint John, N.B., Peel, Ont., and Vancouver, B.C. The model is also used by the Department of National Defense.Ongoing investigationMcCarron said the handgun at the centre of the investigation has been sent to Ottawa to determine why it misfired.Depending on the forensic results, she said police will then decide whether to switch out all of the P320 guns.Provincial RCMP said they saw the video of the Sept. 4th incident, which happened near the Provincial Correctional Centre in Milton Station as the on-duty officer was getting out of his police vehicle. RCMP Major Crime Unit took over the investigation given its serious nature… It is normal practice for police services to not investigate their own incidents in matters like this one.— Cpl. Gavin Moore”There was absolutely nothing that the officer did that would appear to induce the firearm to go off,” media relations officer Cpl. Gavin Moore said on Sept. 5.He later told CBC News that Queens District RCMP officers were originally called to the scene because the correctional centre is located in a part of the province policed by that detachment. “RCMP Major Crime Unit took over the investigation given its serious nature… It is normal practice for police services to not investigate their own incidents in matters like this one,” Moore said. CorrectionsAn earlier version of this story mischaracterized why the RCMP were handling the investigation into the Sept. 4 incident.Sep 16, 2025 1:26 PM EDTABOUT THE AUTHORTaylor O’Brien is a reporter based in Charlottetown. She is a recipient of the 2024 CBC Joan Donaldson Scholarship and has previously reported for CBC in Thunder Bay, Ont. She holds a master of journalism degree from Carleton University. You can contact Taylor by emailing taylor.obrien@cbc.ca.
After holstered gun goes off, Charlottetown police officers given option to swap firearms
