For years, Remington has been under fire about its 700 series rifles. Numerous lawsuits have been filed and handled. Then, gun owners, states and other plaintiffs filed a class action trigger lawsuit. The company fought those claims for years, but eventually settled the trigger lawsuit, and it is now final.
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Backers of the lawsuit claim that triggers on the Remington 700 rifle, along with other models with similar designs, could fire without pulling the trigger. They also claim that Remington knew this and covered up reports about the so-called unsafe trigger.
CNBC investigated these claims in a piece title “Remington Under Fire.” In the documentary, CNBC talked to people who claimed the gun fired, killing and injuring numerous bystanders, including 9-year-old Gus Barber. After his son’s death, Richard Barder started searching for answers. He gathered thousands of company documents about the 700 rifle trigger. He revealed many of these documents to CNBC, and also published them online.
Problems With the Remington Trigger Lawsuit
Remington settled the trigger lawsuit. However, some plaintiffs, including legal experts and nine state attorneys general in the suit objected. In fact, some tried to block the settlement, saying it didn’t go far enough, by appealing the ruling. About a month later, though, a judge dismissed those arguments and approved the settlement. Then, Remington filed bankruptcy, putting the settlement at risk.
“If they file for bankruptcy, it will stay all proceedings,” said Mark Lanier, a lead attorney for plaintiffs, to CNBC back in February.
Those wanting to block the settlement continue to claim that it is bogus, citing that less than 30,000 gun owners of 7.5 million have submitted claims for replacement triggers. In fact, J. Robert Ates, attorney for two plaintiffs called it a “totally flawed notice campaign” at the time. Of course, Remington came out of bankruptcy and now the settlement is official. Owners of 700 series rifles, along with other models containing the same trigger, have 18 months to file a replacement claim.
“Anyone with one of these guns should take advantage of this opportunity to get the trigger fixed,” said Eric D. Holland, a lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the class action case. “I’ve encouraged everyone to put these guns away. Don’t use these guns. Make the claims now.”
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Obtaining a Replacement Trigger
Remington continues to deny the allegations, saying the guns are safe and that they only settled the trigger lawsuit to avoid protracted litigation. Regardless, Remington has set up a website to provide information on how to obtain a replacement trigger on certain rifles. The site says, “The class action lawsuit claims that trigger mechanisms with a component part known as a trigger connector are defectively designed and can result in accidental discharges without the trigger being pulled.”
Therefore, owners of Remington rifles containing a trigger connector can obtain a replacement trigger at no charge. Additionally, owners of Remington Model 700 and Model Seven rifles containing an X-Mark Pro trigger mechanism manufactured from May 1, 2006 to April 9, 2014, can also replace their triggers. Owners wanting more information about the trigger lawsuit and replacement triggers can also call 800-876-5940.
