Remington has launched an aggressive campaign refuting a recent documentary aired by CNBC alleging that the company has continued to produce its popular Remington Model 700 rifle despite potential safety problems with the gun.
The documentary, titled “Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation,” claims that more than 75 lawsuits have been filed alleging that the rifle is prone to firing without the trigger being pulled. According to CNBC, at least a dozen deaths and more than 100 serious injuries have been linked to inadvertent discharges of the Remington 700 model, which is widely thought to be the most popular hunting rifle in the world. CNBC also wrote a follow-up to the documentary claiming to have uncovered documents that have records of Remington company officials discussing the issue, as well as whether a design change would be worth “the high expenditure required to make the conversion.”
As expected, Remington issued a hasty and heated response, drawing into question the credibility of CNBC reporter Scott Cohn, who is seen in the footage awkwardly holding a Model 700 with his finger on the trigger – an obvious faux pas for someone experienced at handling firearms.
Remington, which declined to cooperate with the investigation, launched an online network dedicated to defending the Model 700's reliability and safety. One of the statements included on the page says “…most accidents occur from improper use.”
