https://891khol.org/family-of-dead-airman-calls-for-nationwide-discontinuance-of-m18-handgun-involved-in-his-death/

by Chris Clements | Wyoming Public Media | Aug 4, 2025 | Politics & Policy

Quote:

The family of an airman who died while on duty at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne is calling for the military and police departments across the country to discontinue the use of the M18 handgun involved in his death.

“ [The airman’s family] are absolutely mortified to understand how big of a problem this is, how many people have been injured,” said Robert Zimmerman, an attorney at the Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, which represents more than 100 alleged victims of the P320 and its variants, like the M18. “They want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to other families. The funeral was just Monday, so they are still obviously processing all of this, and they are working through their grief.”

They’re also considering a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Airman Brayden Lovan, 21, died on July 20 while on duty for the 90th Security Forces Squadron, his first assignment since entering active duty for the U.S. Air Force in 2023.

According to an article by the Muhlenberg County Leader-News newspaper, Lovan was from Greenville, Kentucky. He was involved in sports like football and track and was a member of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville. “He loved going four wheel riding with his friends, fishing, camping, jet skiing, hunting and playing play station,” reads his obituary.

Air Force Global Strike Command has paused use of the M18 Modular Handgun System until further notice.