The 14 Guns American Police Departments Prefer

In the United States, police officers are trained and tasked with maintaining order in our communities. This work comes with a certain amount of risk, which requires protection. Police must carry a firearm for their protection and sometimes for our protection, too.

Certain types of guns have made it to the forefront through training, test of time, and preference. 24/7 Wall Street has reviewed the makers and types of firearms used nationwide to determine those used most often. Knowing the factors they consider helps them understand why they choose the ones they do. Capacity, accuracy, and cost are common and important aspects to consider when choosing a weapon, and this is no different for any American police department. Pistols seem the most prevalent, followed by shotguns and handguns used for backups.

Certain manufacturers have found their way to repeated use both for the common person and for officers of the law. Glock, established in the US in 1988, and Sig Sauer, who have been selling weapons since 1976, make the list most often. Most of these manufacturers have reached the top of the list in American sales. Positive feedback on these specific makers includes their magazine capacity, accuracy, weight, trigger pull, and safety features.

Why Are We Covering This?

According to the FBI, the United States has over 18,000 police departments. The vast majority of these departments’ officers are armed with a handgun. Like many other public institutions, police in the United States and around the world are a major client of the firearm manufacturing industry, a $10 billion a year sector. Providing a profile of the most commonly used weapons helps paint a picture of some of the gun manufacturers benefitting most from American taxpayer dollars.

Let’s learn more about the most popular guns used in American law enforcement today, in no particular order:

Smith & Wesson M&P 40

The Smith & Wesson M&P 40 is a semi-automatic pistol with a 0.40 chambering. The base price for this gun model is $500. The San Antonio Police Department uses this weapon.

FN 509 MRD-LE

Walther PPQ (replaced by the PDP)

Sig Sauer P365

Glock 43

Sig Sauer P229

A Sig Sauer P229 makes the top of the list for the United States Secret Service and the Memphis Police Department. This model is available with a 9mm chambering and starts at $1,400 a pop.

Glock 21

A Glock 21 is another semi-automatic pistol frequently in use, notably on the Phoenix and Lawton, OK Police Department force. It boasts a .45 chambering and has an estimated base price of $550.

Remington 870

Rem-870-Police... (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Picanox

The only shotgun on the list is the Remington 870. This pump-action model offers three chamberings: 12 ga, 20 ga, or a .410 bore. The Alaska State Troopers and Memphis Police Department have this in their arsenals, and the estimated base price is $500.

Sig Sauer P320

A Sig Sauer P320 is a semi-automatic pistol used by various departments, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma City Police Department, Deleware State Police, and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This model offers three chamberings: 9mm, 10mm, and .45 automatic. The estimated base price is $735.

Glock 22

The Glock 22 is a semi-automatic pistol with a .40 S&W chambering. The Alaska State Troopers and the Philadelphia, Houston, and Phoenix Police Departments have this in their arsenals. The estimated base price to purchase this fire arm is $520.

Smith & Wesson M&P 9

This semi-automatic pistol is common for many prominent departments. The Smith &Wesson M&P has a 9mm chambering, and the base price estimate is $500. The Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Columbus, OH police departments, along with the CIA, use this weapon.

Sig Sauer P226

Notably, the NYPD uses the Sig Sauer P226, a semi-automatic pistol with a 9mm chambering. Other departments include the CIA, Houston PD, Dallas PD, and the San Jose PD. The estimated base price for this model is $1,200.

Glock 17

A Glock 17 is a 9mm chambering, semi-automatic pistol with a base price of $540. Departments with this weapon include the FBI, San Jose PD, Dallas PD, Phoenix PD, Houston PD, Chicago PD, Columbus, OH PD, and the Asheville, NC PD.

Glock 19

Various departments use the Glock 19, a semi-automatic pistol with a 9mm chambering. The price starts at an estimated $510. The NYPD, Chicago PD, Philadelphia PD, D.C. Metro PD, Boston PD, San Jose PD, Dallas PD, Asheville, NC PD, FBI, CIA, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection utilize this model.