Actually, that little spring is intended to keep the lever in place when the gun is assembled, as well. If you look closely it has two grooves in it, one to act as a detent when it is unlocked, the other to act as a detent when it is locked.
If the spring is broken or loose, of the lever is a very loose fit in the frame, it can rotate to the unlocked position of its own accord when the gun is fired and pressure against the lock is released momentarily during recoil.
When this happens the trigger plate can fly off the gun. If you are lucky no one will see you frantically try to retrieve it. If you are -really- lucky it will not fall forward of the firing line!
--Dwight
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