Huge Trove Of Remington Rifle Documents Is Made Public
BY Herschel Smith
8 years ago
CNBC:
Owners of Remington’s popular Model 700 rifle can now examine for themselves literally millions of pages of internal company documents that have led critics to conclude that the guns are unsafe.
The documents — more than 130,000 files in all — have been assembled in a searchable online database by the advocacy group Public Justice. The organization, which battles against secrecy in the courts, fought successfully last year to make the documents public.
“These documents show the extreme danger of court secrecy,” said Public Justice Chairman Arthur Bryant. “They prove that court secrecy kills. Literally.”
With millions sold since the design first went on the market in the 1940s, Remington claims its Model 700 is the best-selling bolt-action rifle ever made. But lawsuits have alleged that for decades the company covered up a deadly design flaw that allows the guns to fire without the trigger being pulled, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. The company has denied the allegations.
The documents show Remington engineers wrestling with what they called a “very dangerous” situation as early as 1947 — before the guns went on sale. Company officials eventually decided that a design change was not worth the added cost, a conclusion they would reach again and again.
We’ve discussed this at length before. While shooters are responsible for following all of the rules of safety, firearms manufacturers are responsible for designing and producing firearms that don’t discharge a round when the trigger isn’t being pulled. It’s called “defense in depth.”
Take a look at the incredible cache of documents there. It’s staggering. As I’ve said before to firearms manufacturers, when you find problems you’d better admit them and get out in front of the problem, recall it, announce it, and fix it.
Engineers, don’t ever sacrifice your ethical integrity at the behest of corporate lawyers. You say, “But this pertains to my career and this is a very difficult decision to make, and it could affect my ability to support my family.” Yes it does, and yes it may.
That’s why it’s call ethics. It isn’t ethics when it’s easy. Been there, done that. I know what it’s like.
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On November 19, 2016 at 9:48 am, Blake said:
A few decades ago, a serious flaw was found in a design for a control valve for a nuclear power plant. One of the engineers, a very close friend of mine, risked his job bringing the problem to the corporate honchos.
He managed to force a costly design change and shortly after, moved on from that job. Very smart man and a man of impeccable integrity. He wound up doing okay in the end.
I do not know all the ins and outs as the issue was never discussed in detail.
Knowing this man, were it to happen today, he’d, more than likely, do it all over again.
On November 19, 2016 at 10:01 am, Blake said:
Reminds me of another story: A guy I knew, accountant, worked with some people who wanted him to “cook the books” a bit “just this one time.” He didn’t want to do it and said so, but the people kept badgering him..until he told them, “Anyone who will lie for you will lie to you” at which point, all pressure ceased. He always credited that piece of wisdom to God and not himself, by the way.