Tragically, a Roanoke man was killed late Saturday night when a rifle he was handling went off. At the time of this posting, it is unknown if the victim was cleaning the gun or simply moving it. But what we do know is that the incident has been ruled a fatal accident.
In 2012, Scott Cohn a reporter for NBC news did an investigative report on this type of incident. This report identifies Remington shotguns and rifles as having a faulty Common Fire Control.
The report also uncovered documents dating back to 1957 alerting Remington of the unsafe guns. The Common Fire Control mechanism has been used since 1948 in some twenty million guns.
Since 1973, the company has received reports of 75 injuries and 7 deaths associated with the CFC used in shotguns and semi-automatic rifles.
One Alaska native was rendered a quadriplegic. One 15 year old was shot in the face. Another person shot in the leg, an injury which required 13 surgeries and a 3 month hospital stay.
How can a company get away with selling a product that is so dangerous? It turns out that the CPSC cannot get involved and protect Americans. We can thank Congress for that.
NBC reporter, Scott Cohn explains, “No government agency can order a manufacturer to recall a defective gun. In fact, Congress specifically barred the Consumer Product Safety Commission from regulating firearms and ammunition, in keeping with the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms. That means gun manufacturers police themselves.”
That means that Remington can continue to make billions of dollars from selling these unsafe guns.
Please read the complete report here.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by defective firearm or unintentional discharge of a firearm, call Paul Thomson of The Thomson Law Firm today for a free case evaluation.
Paul Thomson serves clients in Roanoke, Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, Wise, Abingdon, Bristol, Chesapeake, VA Beach, Richmond, Fairfax, Arlington, Charlottesville, Winchester, Danville, Blacksburg, Radford, VA and West Virginia. Call (540) 777-4900 for your free personalized consult today.
