BY Herschel Smith
9 years, 9 months ago
CNBC:
The federal judge considering a proposed class-action settlement involving millions of allegedly defective Remington rifles is raising new questions about the accord, warning a plaintiff’s attorney in court that the agreement as it currently stands risks more people being injured by the guns.
Remington and the plaintiffs in two nationwide class-action cases have proposed replacing the triggers on nearly eight million guns, including the wildly popular Model 700 Series, which critics allege are prone to firing without the trigger being pulled.
Some two dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries have been linked to accidental firings of the guns. The 2010 documentary Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation explored allegations that for more than 60 years, the company covered up the alleged defect.
Remington has steadfastly denied the allegations and still maintains the guns are safe.
“There’s nothing wrong with the Remington 700 rifle,” said Remington outside counsel John Sherk at a preliminary hearing in a federal court in Kansas City to consider the proposed settlement. But he said “Remington is committed to this settlement” in order for the company to move past litigation that has gone on for decades.
This is what happens with students go to law school and become convinced that it’s okay to tell lies. There is indeed something very wrong with the Remington 700. As I’ve said before, don’t believe what I’m saying. Go study the evidence for yourself, including the testing performed at Remington.
The reason this is a big deal goes beyond mere responsibility for your work products as good and honest workers. This goes to the honesty of engineering, the fidelity of weapons design and the ability to entrust your life and the lives of loved ones to a manufacturer. Remington is showing itself to be a very bad example to the gun community. Forget the issue of legal settlements. What happened to being good professional engineers who take ownership of their designs?
