Thirteen years ago, here in Montana, nine year Gus Barber lost his life when a hunting rifle that was being unloaded fired unexpectedly. We have come to place too much trust in the mechanical safeties on our guns, but that trust is misplaced. We need to reinforce the safe handling of guns, remembering to treat each and every weapon as if it were loaded. Those of us who do own and use firearms, whether for hunting or sport shooting, need to make sure that we emphasize safe gun handling practices, for ourselves and those we are shooting with. It’s good to remind ourselves, and our hunting companions, to be extra careful with guns. While any loss of life is tragic, we are doing better with safety training and safer guns. Unfortunately, a Montana family may lose a loved one to a hunting accident.
Hunting is a family tradition in Montana, a higher percentage of our population hunts than in any other state, and it is common to see hunting parties of two or three generations in the woods and on the prairies throughout Montana. The general rifle season for elk, deer, and antelope opens next month. Right now hunters are out sighting in their rifles. In a report to investors last month, Remington's privately-held parent company, Remington Outdoors, previously known as The Freedom Group, revealed it had set aside $29.7 million in what the company called a "Model 700 settlement reserve.For me, these crisp autumn mornings mean the big game hunting season is near. Again, the decisions had to do with the cost, which had risen dramatically from Mike Walker's original 5 ½ cents a gun, and continues to go up today. CNBC found that at least twice-in 19-company officials discussed the idea but ultimately rejected it. This is not the first time Remington has considered recalling the popular rifle. I feel more sympathy to this new company." People hear Remington and they automatically think 'oldest gun manufacturer,' but people don't know the company has changed many, many times.
It's not in my nature to attack my adversary when they do the right thing. "This situation can be very dangerous from a safety and functional point of view," said a 1947 inspection report.īarber noted Remington's corporate structure has changed repeatedly over the years, and he is pleased the company has finally agreed to fix the guns. Subsequent memos during the testing process noted guns could be made to fire simply by switching off the safety or operating the bolt. In a 1946 memo, he warned of a "theoretical unsafe condition" involving the gun's safety-the mechanism that's supposed to keep the rifle from firing accidentally.
The gun is prized for its accuracy and smooth operation, thanks to a unique trigger mechanism patented in the 1940s by Remington engineer Merle "Mike" Walker.īut the CNBC investigation revealed that even before the gun went on the market, Walker himself had discovered a potential problem with the trigger he designed. Remington's 700 series, which began with the Model 721 shortly after World War II, has been wildly popular not only with hunters and target shooters, but also with law enforcement and the U.S.
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