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Remington Responds to 60 Minutes Story on 700 Rifle Safety Issues

Tucker301

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Feb 13, 2015
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https://www.remington.com/news/2017/remington-responds-60-minutes
On February 19, 2017, 60 Minutes broadcast a segment about Remington Arms Company, LLC and two tragic incidents which occurred in 2011. In narrating the details related to each incident, 60 Minutes omitted and misrepresented key facts which would have allowed the viewer to have an accurate and complete understanding about each. For example, 60 Minutes knew but did not disclose that both of the rifles in question were examined and tested by forensic scientists employed by each state’s crime lab and were found to be in proper working order. Remington provides this response to offer a more complete record of the relevant facts and a comprehensive overview of the incidents described in the story, and the recall which was at the center of the story.

The 60 Minutes segment showcased two separate incidents which it alleged stemmed from issues related to the rifles’ trigger mechanisms. Although Remington shared voluminous information and spent hours providing background information to 60 Minutes related to the recall and the two incidents, 60 Minutes failed to offer its viewers critical facts and content core to each incident. It is imperative that 60 Minutes viewers, our customers and the public, have accurate and complete information related to these two incidents as well as to the recall of Model 700 rifles with X-Mark Pro ("XMP") triggers and the settlement of the Pollard v. Remington class action lawsuit.

Remington stands behind the safety and reliability of its products and vehemently denies allegations by 60 Minutes and others that there is any design defect in another trigger mechanism, the Walker trigger mechanism. Remington made a commercial decision to put an end to the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation, and agreed to settle the Pollard class action on terms which are in the best interests of Remington and its valued customers.

Separately, after Remington’s own investigation determined that there was a possible assembly error affecting some XMP triggers, it immediately and voluntarily issued an international recall on all Remington products with XMP trigger mechanisms manufactured from May 1, 2006 to April 9, 2014 and broadly promoted and advertised the recall. Under the recall program, over 350,000 XMP trigger mechanisms have been replaced. Firearm safety remains our number one priority.

Remington was first contacted by a 60 Minutes producer in October 2016 advising that CBS was “working on a [60 Minutes segment] in regards to the XMP recall and the pending Pollard Class Action Settlement.” The 60 Minutes producers, representing that CBS was interested in airing “a complete, well-rounded, and accurate report,” asked Remington to provide background information about Model 700 rifles and about two independent incidents involving Model 700 rifles. Given this representation and with the hope that 60 Minutes was truly interested in producing a balanced and accurate report, Remington sent 60 Minutes numerous records and information on those topics, and it also directed CBS to specific, readily available public records related to the topics chosen as the focus by 60 Minutes.

It is distressing that most of the information Remington provided to 60 Minutes was not included or ever referenced in its February 19, 2017 Remington segment. To set the record straight and to provide Remington’s valued customers and viewers of the 60 Minutes segment with a complete and accurate understanding of several of the matters presented in the segment, Remington provides below a listing of information either in 60 Minutes’ possession or readily available to it in public records before it aired its segment. This material puts the 60 Minutes’ segment in context and exposes 60 Minutes’ pre-determined viewpoint and intentional omission of key facts that would have reflected balanced reporting of the circumstances of those tragic incidents.

Topic 1: The Stringer Incident

60 Minutes presented the tragic story from Mississippi of then 15-year-old Zachary Stringer shooting and killing his 11-year-old brother with a Model 700 rifle in June of 2011. 60 Minutes represented that Zachary was convicted in the shooting death of his brother with a Remington rifle even though Zachary “insisted it went off by itself.” Leslie Stahl then suggested that the rifle fired because of a potential manufacturing defect (excess bonding agent) which prompted Remington in April of 2014 to voluntarily recall all Model 700 rifles with XMP trigger mechanisms. Remington had previously explained to the 60 Minutes producers that to be subject to the recall condition of a potential unintentional discharge caused by excess bonding agent on the blocker screw, the excess bonding agent had to be of a certain consistency and the rifle had to be being used in certain cold weather conditions. The rifle was indisputably not being used in cold weather conditions when it was being handled by Zachary Stringer inside his home in Mississippi in June of 2011.

When 60 Minutes told Remington before the segment aired that it intended to address the Stringer tragedy, Remington sent 60 Minutes the following materials: (1) the Mississippi Supreme Court decision affirming the manslaughter conviction of Zachary Stringer; and (2) the transcript of the trial testimony of the forensic scientist from the Mississippi Crime Lab who had examined and tested the rifle. The Supreme Court decision set out in great detail the facts of the incident and the trial transcript of the forensic scientist’s testimony detailed her examination and testing of the rifle conducted after the shooting. CBS withheld the following facts from these materials in its possession:
  • According to the Supreme Court decision, Zachary gave law enforcement officers three conflicting and inconsistent accounts of how the shooting occurred. In his initial handwritten statement given to officers in the presence of his parents two days after the shooting, Zachary claimed his brother had shot himself while the two of them were home alone. Zachary later admitted that immediately after he shot his brother, he put his Remington rifle back in his closet. He then retrieved his brother’s shotgun, “fired a round into the woods, and placed the shotgun between [his brother’s] legs” in an effort “to make it look like an accident.”
  • In Zachary’s second statement, given almost two months after the first statement and in the presence of his attorney, he claimed that after his brother shot the family dog with a dart gun, Zachary retrieved his Remington rifle from his bedroom. Without checking the rifle’s action, Zachary claimed the rifle fired as he got up from the couch in the living room.
  • In Zachary’s third statement (given a week after his second statement), he claimed his brother was pestering him and pretending to shoot him with the dart gun. At that point, Zachary said he threatened to shoot his brother if he continued to pester him, and he loaded a round in the chamber of his Remington rifle. Zachary claimed the shooting that followed was accidental.
  • As shown by Mississippi Supreme Court decision and the trial transcript provided to 60 Minutes, the rifle was examined and tested after the incident by a forensic scientist from the Mississippi Crime Laboratory. As the transcript of testimony from the trial shows, the forensic scientist performed functional-reliability tests on the rifle, including drop and impact tests, and the rifle did not accidentally discharge and was determined to be “in good working order.”
In sum, the following materials were not referenced or acknowledged by 60 Minutes although they were provided to 60 Minutes and are linked herein: (1) the opinion by the Mississippi Supreme Court; and (2) the transcript of trial testimony of firearms examiner for the Mississippi Crime Lab.


Topic 2: The North Carolina Incident

60 Minutes also reported on a shooting incident occurring on December 23, 2011, in Columbus County, North Carolina. One woman was killed and two others injured by a single bullet discharged from the bedroom inside a neighbor’s house across the street. The 23-year-old neighbor and owner of the Remington rifle claimed he was retrieving the rifle (which was in a gun case) from his bedroom closet. Thinking the rifle was unloaded, the neighbor pulled the rifle from the case with his right hand while holding a cell phone in his left hand. As he pulled the rifle out of the case, it discharged. The bullet traveled through his bedroom window and across the street where it struck the three women as they were walking to their car.

60 Minutes suggested that the rifle fired without the trigger being pulled because of the potential manufacturing defect which prompted the April 2014 XMP trigger recall. When 60 Minutes told Remington that the segment might include the North Carolina incident, Remington sent the 60 Minutes producers the following materials (none of which were referenced or acknowledged by 60 Minutes in the segment): (1) the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s report on its examination and testing of the rifle in question; (2) the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s report on its separate examination of the rifle; (3) the initial report and the subsequent deposition transcript of the firearms expert hired by the attorneys for the women’s families in their subsequent lawsuit against Remington; (4) the transcript of the recorded statement given to local law enforcement on the day of the incident by the neighbor who was handling the rifle; and (5) an e-mail string between the attorneys representing the families of the women regarding their expert’s findings on examining the rifle. In addition, 60 Minutes had knowledge of, and access to, the Mecklenburg County court file which included the complete transcript of the deposition of the neighbor. In airing the portion of its segment concerning the North Carolina incident, 60 Minutes withheld and omitted the following facts:
  • On the day of the incident, the neighbor told law enforcement that the rifle fired because “I must have bumped the trigger.”
  • The neighbor testified at his deposition that he thought the rifle was unloaded at the time of the incident.
  • The NCSBI examined the rifle and found it to be functioning properly.
  • The FBI examined the rifle at its Quantico, VA laboratory and found it to be functioning normally.
  • In his initial report of March 31, 2014, the firearms expert hired by the family’s attorneys stated that, based on his examination and testing of the rifle, it “displayed no conditional nor configurational defects that would cause it to fire in the absence of a depressed trigger.”
  • In an e-mail string between the family’s attorneys, they reported that their firearms expert found the rifle to be “within factory specs with no visible defects.”
  • In his deposition of May 14, 2015, the expert hired by the family’s attorneys testified to the following: (A) his opinion that at the time of the shooting the man handling the rifle did not know it was loaded; (B) the rifle’s safety was in the “OFF” or “FIRE” position at the time of the incident; (C) if the safety had been engaged in the “ON” or “SAFE” position, the rifle would not have fired under any circumstances; (D) during his inspection of the rifle, he never found any excess bonding agent (Loctite) to be in any way interfering with the safe operation of the rifle; and (E) that in the usage of the rifle before the incident and in the multitude of tests performed on the rifle after the incident, the only way the rifle could be made to discharge was by pulling the trigger.
The materials provided to 60 Minutes by Remington and linked herein included the following: (1) the NCSBI report; (2) the FBI report; (3) the statement of the gunhandler given to law enforcement on the day of the shooting; (4) the transcript of deposition of the expert witness hired by the plaintiffs’ attorneys; (5) the initial March 31, 2014 report of the plaintiffs’ expert; and (6) an e-mail string between plaintiffs’ attorneys.

Topic 3: Verdicts in 2008 and 2011

60 Minutes also made reference to a 1994 verdict against Remington in a case involving a Model 700 rifle with a Walker trigger mechanism (the Collins case). 60 Minutes did not disclose that in the only two injury cases tried to verdict since the Collins case involving Remington trigger mechanisms containing the connector component, both juries returned verdicts in Remington’s favor finding that the Remington trigger mechanisms were not defective. Both of these verdicts were provided to 60 Minutes before the segment aired, and 60 Minutes intentionally failed to disclose these verdicts to its viewers. The verdicts provided to 60 Minutes are linked herein: (1) the 2008 jury verdict in Williams v. Remington; and (2) the 2011 jury verdict in Hull v. Remington.

Conclusion

For decades, Remington bolt-action rifles have been a favorite of millions of American hunters, target shooters, law enforcement and military personnel. Remington continues to stand behind the safety and reliability of its firearms. That is certainly true for its bolt-action centerfire rifles, including the Model 700, which has earned its reputation among millions of satisfied users as America’s most popular, reliable and trusted bolt-action rifle.

 
https://www.remington.com/news/2017/remington-responds-60-minutes
Given this representation and with the hope that 60 Minutes was truly interested in producing a balanced and accurate report, Remington sent 60 Minutes numerous records and information on those topics, and it also directed CBS to specific, readily available public records related to the topics chosen as the focus by 60 Minutes.

How naive. I still remember the Chevy truck episode, the Audi epidode, the Bush OER episode...
 
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I'd have to agree. If 60 Minutes shows up asking about your business your best play is to tell them to fuck off. The story is already written. They're just hoping you'll say something stupid.
 
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That's horrible thank God I chose a tikka

Yep, exactly the reaction CBS's fake news hoped for.

When Newtown happened I believe Remington had something to do with Bushmaster at the time and they dumped the product because of the association, that or they sent out some press release bemoaning the "tradgedy" of Newtown.

They turtled. They accepted blame for a heinous crime (outragous crime does not equal tradgedy) that was the sole responsibility of the asswipe operating the firearm. Exactly the action the anti gunners want them to take. Once they make that small crack in their liability wal it will be exploited until it looks like the California dam spillway.

If there is actual bad engineering it would show with that many product examples. Are there Friday afternoon and Monday morning products yes. Is there user negligence "OH yeah!"

That story with the two boys is horrible, sounds like some whoop ass needed to be applied way before the events that brought them to our attention.

Anyway, anyone afraid of owning their Remington 700s Ill take all you got. I particularly need a 1968 SA, small bolt face, 6 digit right now.
 
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I can't believe that Remington thought they'd get a fair story done by mainstream media. I know the libtards are stupid but damn, to think 60 min would present factual information that DOESN'T match their agenda, "that's weapons grade stupid" to quote some great signatures.
 
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I think they fail to understand when i watch the news (or read) i want information/facts. I dont want "produced drama". But of course that would be very dry and not entertaining. And that is where they have lost their compass. The news isn't supposed to be entertaining at least not in the way a movie or sitcom is. But that is what they are competing with. Probably started before CNN came to be (i was only 9 then). But 24 hr news all day every day. Life is pretty boring 99% of the time. Pretty obvious that stories would have to be manipulated to draw attention.
ever since sandy hook my local news has a "breaking news" segment in the morning (at least). Big red letters "breaking news" across the screen. Quite the production. At first I was drawn thinking "oh fuck what now". But 99% of the time it a fender bender on the freeway or a drug deal gone bad over night in the bad part of the big city. Stupid shit that is barely news let alone "breaking news". Just a drama show any more.
 
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In both of the cases in the 60 Minutes story there was considerable evidence to suggest that these were not accidental shootings.
I really feel for the father in the first one. He has to struggle with the possibility that the older kid willfully shot his brother, but he also wants to believe it was an accident, and it helps him to have Remington to blame. Two young boys at home alone. An accessible loaded rifle. A lot of things done wrong here.

I grew up with three brothers, and we'd try to kill each other on a daily basis. There was a loaded pistol in my Dad's sock drawer. We all knew it was there, just like we knew where the Playboy magazine were stashed, but unlike the Playboy magazines, we would NEVER lay hands on that pistol, messing around or out of anger.

In the second case, I have a LOT of questions.
Not the least of which is why would you point a loaded rifle in an unsafe direction?

My theory is the guy saw the neighbors across the street and decided to play out a fantasy. He forgot the rifle was loaded, took aim through the window, and feeling all "snipery", decided to dry fire a round. Big surprise!
If my dumbass not by blood Uncle can blow away the family pet after cleaning his shotgun at the kitchen table (true story), then the above is certainly possible.

Here is the 60 Minutes hit piece. I didn't post Remington's response in the threads about the recall, because I think the recall thread needs to deal strictly with the recall.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/popular-...eadly-defects/
 
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Rule One: All guns are always loaded.
Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy.
Rule Three: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
Rule Four: Always be sure of your target.

I can't say I agree with rule one, but I do understand the point of it. I often see an addition to rule four "and what is beyond it" and I think that's worth including.

I want my firearms to function as designed. I want the safety to prevent it from firing if the safety is engaged. I don't want it to fire by just closing the bolt or disengaging the safety (I've had both happen and I managed to not hurt anyone). That said, every bullet that leaves the bore is my responsibility.
 
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My theory is the guy saw the neighbors across the street and decided to play out a fantasy. He forgot the rifle was loaded, took aim through the window, and feeling all "snipery", decided to dry fire a round. Big surprise!
If my dumbass not by blood Uncle can blow away the family pet after cleaning his shotgun at the kitchen table (true story), then the above is certainly possible.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/popular-...eadly-defects/

Man imagine living with that. If your theory is true I hope that MF never experiences a sound night of sleep.
 
I couldn't help myself posting a comment at CBS while on lunch. as follows:

And this is where the term "fake news" comes from. That report was 100% biased against the gun manufacture. In both cases the gun was thoroughly inspected by investigators and both guns were found to be operating correctly. That is, both guns WOULD NOT fire unless the trigger was pulled. I got news for you folks, that is how a gun is supposed to work.

While someone make think it is cool or harmless to point a gun at someone as prank, scare tactic or what ever, it is fact no joke EVER. Guns are not toys in the true sense of the word, but for a responsible person who doesn't fall into complacency they can be an adult toy.

The focus on guns is absolutely a side show. Everyday millions of people get into a vehicles and hurl themselves and sometimes passengers down the road at speeds that are quite frankly deadly. And what do we trust to separate ourselves from our fellow man doing the same thing, who could at any second have a issue either accidental (mechanical, medical) or on purpose that causes us to be involved in a possible deadly collision. we use a line of paint to separate ourselves from death. We blindly trust this system because in general people follow the rules and it works.

In both the cases profiled by 60 minutes the rules of gun ownership we broken. The people responsible are trying to pass the buck to either get out of jail or to clear their own conscience so that they can justify the errors they made in judgement as non-issue in the out come of the events that happened.

I find it ironic the when asked a vast majority of people say that people don't take responsibility or "own" there actions anymore. Yet when push comes to shove and society is watching (along with God if you believe) the same people will happily without regret point the finger at someone else.
 
Shades of Katie Couric and her Fake News when doctoring the interview with the pro gun speakers in her anti gun hit piece.
 
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While I dont claim to have all the info, this story is not new. It has been going on for years. I saw a different special several years ago, much more well done that showed a file cabinet drawer full of stories about A/D's related to this rifle/trigger set up. It was enough to make me take notice, not a slant biased story like this.

As I said, I dont know all of it, but there is more to it then this story.

And I might add that Ive owned and loved several Remington 700's some with the X Mark trigger, most recently a beautiful R5 I bought from a Hide member. Wish I still had it.






 
had to post this as a reply also:

In NEITHER case profiled was the gun dropped. the court records are public INFORMATION. in both cases NEITHER the FBI nor a private gun expert could make either gun go off UNINTENTIONALLY.
you also ignore the fact that the guns had live ammo while being used in violation of all known and RECOGNIZED safety practices. Remington can fixed stupid.

Before SUCKLING on 60 minutes's teat people should do there own research. you really think 60 minutes/cbs had enough time ALLOTTED to tell the story from every angle.

Not sure why some words are all CAP. I didn't type it that way. Brain hurts, going back to work.
 
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had to post this as a reply also:

Before SUCKLING on 60 minutes's teat people should do there own research.

Right here lies part of the problem. People lacking knowledge want to be spoon fed rather than doing the work for themselves to educate themselves in the issues. Whether it's politics and elections, gun control, or fat people putting down the spoon. No one wants to think for themselves any more.

Such a sad direction for our country.
 
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Fear is a powerful thing. Nearly as powerful as information, or misinformation as the case may be.
 
Fear is a powerful thing. Nearly as powerful as information, or misinformation as the case may be.

You know what I think a lot of the stupidism is based on fear and the fact a large portion of our population is sackless unwilling to consider anything worth risking their useless skin for.

I saw it last weekend with the MIT professor father of one of my sons friends. I believe he believes all the BS because the left couches their arguments in such dire end of the world terms.

No, the right is not free from hyperbole but they have not used the dire imagery the left chooses.

The scare tactics have people like MIT thinking it's a better bet to support the left just in case Trump does build a new Dachau. A case of going along to get what you fear.

Same thing is happening regards ISIS support. I think some have decided ISIS has won so they are getting on their hijab aka Lindsay Lohan.

Stupid. We need to foster a bit of the Sparta mentality in our society
 
Mtncreek's rules are what I go by...zero need for a safety.


For the record you can make them go off by cocking it, putting the safety on...pull the trigger real hard, push safety off, back on, pull trigger real hard, safety off...do this several times and if you have almost no creep you can make it go off...but you have to MAKE IT go off AND not follow the rules of gun ownership AND have a trigger that is below spec.
 
Rule One: All guns are always loaded.
Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy.
Rule Three: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
Rule Four: Always be sure of your target.

I can't say I agree with rule one, but I do understand the point of it. I often see an addition to rule four "and what is beyond it" and I think that's worth including.

I want my firearms to function as designed. I want the safety to prevent it from firing if the safety is engaged. I don't want it to fire by just closing the bolt or disengaging the safety (I've had both happen and I managed to not hurt anyone). That said, every bullet that leaves the bore is my responsibility.

what do you mean you don't agree with rule one? which should be stated....TREAT all guns as if they are loaded........
 
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what do you mean you don't agree with rule one? which should be stated....TREAT all guns as if they are loaded........

I guess it's just the way my mind works plus explaining gun safety to my children that makes Coopers Rule One a little fuzzy to me. I can unload a firearm and know that it's unloaded; I think in a lot of situations that also requires removing all ammo / mags from the area of the now 'unloaded' gun. To disassemble a Glock, I point it in a safe direction before pulling the trigger. If it was loaded, I'd shoot a hole in the floor, but it's not because I confirmed that beforehand. Same with dryfire. I confirm it's unloaded, GET ALL AMMO / MAGS OUT OF THE ROOM and aim in a direction that wouldn't hurt anyone if it were to fire. That said it may be possible a critter near the house gets a bullet if I did F-up. I don't want a horse or other to catch a bullet, but that's a risk I take by pulling the trigger on a firearm that's 'unloaded'.

When you've been drilling the 4 rules into your kids for months and then when he asks how to remove the bolt from his 22 rifle... You got to pull the trigger... ;-)
 
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So are you saying that after you check, recheck and check again that a gun is unloaded and you are not just sure but fucking sure it is empty and there are no live rounds with in sight, it is then okay to point the gun at your wife. I mean your sure right? I think that is what that rule means, even when your sure you could be wrong. I was wrong once, thank god I didn't break any of the other rules. really takes 2 rules to be broken for something bad to happen.
 
This "story" is still going on? Theyve been airing this recall for quite some time now.

What more do they want from remington? Remington already folded and voluntarily recalled thousands of rifles, and spent thousands of dollars, what next?
 
The last line of this is important. They have been controlling the populace for a long time.
80-qpj4gihv7lhy_db44e642c3d1acc8b38ba182ddbd1f8618314ffa.jpg
 
The last line of this is important. They have been controlling the populace for a long time.
80-qpj4gihv7lhy_db44e642c3d1acc8b38ba182ddbd1f8618314ffa.jpg

There is apparently some questionable conduct between her and POTUS when Bill Clinton was in office. I wonder if her job was the same as Monica's than?