After Remington Arms voluntarily recalled some rifles which were manufactured from May 1, 2006, through April 9, 2014, which have an XMP trigger because of a possibility of unintentional discharge, a federal judge has given the final approval to a class-action settlement involving some 7.5 million allegedly defective guns.
Owners of the some of Remington’s most popular firearms, as well as the 700 Model rifle, can have the triggers replaced free of charge.
In 2010, CNBC investigated allegations that Remington covered up a fatal defect for decades that allows the guns to fire without the trigger being pulled. Remington denies the allegations and maintains the guns are safe stating that their decision to settle the case was to avoid protracted litigation. The attorneys general argued that Remington should be required to admit the guns are defective.
U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith, who twice sent the parties back to the drawing board to improve the settlement, decided that fixing some of the guns is better than risking none at all being fixed.
“By approving this settlement, the Court facilitates remediation of the alleged defect,” Smith wrote. “That result may save lives and reduce the risk of injury to others.”
The settlement covers Remington’s Model 700, as well as these other firearms: Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, 721, 722 and 725 rifles, and the XP-100 bolt-action pistol.
Under the settlement, most of these guns will be retrofitted with a new trigger mechanism free of charge. However, some models — specifically the 600, 660, 721, 722, 725 and XP-100 — are considered too old to be retrofitted, so Remington is offering owners of those guns a product voucher worth between $10 and $12.50.
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