If a person is a responsible gun owner, then he or she generally has nothing to worry about when it comes to gun safety. By following the rules including proper storage and maintenance of your guns, you can ensure that they work properly and are safe to use. However, even following all of the safety and maintenance rules will not protect you if your gun is defective. That was the case for Gus Barber, a nine-year-old boy from Montana, who went hunting with his father and some other family members in 2000. Because of his defective hunting rifle, that family trip turned horribly tragic.
Gus’s story
Sam Barber was on a family hunting trip with his only child, his nine-year-old son Gus. They were using Remington model 700 rifles, perhaps one of the most common and popular hunting rifles in the country. However, as soon as the safety was released on one of the guns, it discharged and killed Gus. Following this terrible incident, Sam began to research similar such “incidents” to see if there was a common thread. What he found was several thousand such incidents including several fatalities and other instances of people losing their limbs from errant shots. Sam and his wife sued Remington over a defective trigger mechanism and the company settled the lawsuit out of court. Now, Sam is on a mission to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.
Remington Class Action Suit
Currently, a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of those who have been injured by defective trigger mechanisms in certain models of Remington guns. Specifically, the trigger connector of the X-Mark Pro® trigger mechanism which was used from 2006 to 2014 are defectively designed and can lead to an accidental discharge from the firearm. There was a voluntary recall of this mechanism in April of 2015. In addition to the potential for physical harm, the lawsuit also claims that the inherent value and usefulness of the guns have been diminished because of this defect. A settlement has been given preliminary approval in this case which would affect current owners of Remington Model 700, Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, XP-100, 721, 722, and 725 firearms that contain a Remington trigger mechanism with a trigger connector.
If you or a loved one have been injured by a defective firearm, or if you still possess one of the defective firearms mentioned in this suit, then it is imperative that you contact an experienced law firm to help apprise you of your rights in such a case. The attorneys of Wolf & Pravato are available to offer a free consultation to help you review the facts of your case.
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