Posted on 03/07/2002 8:42:17 AM PST by 45Auto
The Remington Arms Company is offering to modify a bolt lock on some 2.5 million rifles following the accidental shooting death of a 9-year-old boy, the company said Wednesday. The modification is being offered to the owners of all the Remington bolt-action rifles manufactured before 1982.
Remington says the effort was initiated in part as a response to the death of Gus Barber, who was accidentally shot by his mother two years ago as she was unloading her Remington 700 bolt-action rifle. The family, of Manhattan, Mont., said the presence of a bolt-lock mechanism required Barbara Barber to release the safety in order to open the bolt to eject the chambered round.
The trigger was not pulled or even touched, but the rifle immediately fired on safety release, the family said.
"The gun went off. My finger was nowhere near the trigger," Barbara Barber said in an interview last year with CBS. Remington is offering to remove the bolts and clean and inspect the rifles for $20 each. The rifles will be returned with a $20 coupon toward the purchase of Remington products, the company said on its Web site.
A call placed to Remington's headquarters in Madison was not returned Wednesday. In a letter to CBS Evening News, the company said, "The Barber family knows it has our deepest sympathy."
This is a very rare event, but Remington 700s do sometimes fail this way. The striker can fall when the safety is released.
I have owned one for years, excellent rifle, excellent value, too. Mine has never malfunctioned in this way, and 9999 out of 10,000 never will, but it can happen.
I remember those stories. Of course, the situation was that much worse if there was a Pinto in front of your Audi.
Always treat your handgun's decocker as something that might make it go off, too
Bingo.
But, in todays litigious society, we can't let common sense like that get in the way of placing blame on someone other than who's fault it really is.</sarcasm>
Clearly, here, this was not observed. Safety starts and ends between your ears.
Jeff Cooper's Rules Of Gun Safety
[...] I have lived a long and active life, and I am still alive because I have always been very, very careful.
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
There are no exceptions. Do not pretend that this is true. Some people and organizations take this rule and weaken it;e.g. "Treat all guns as if they were loaded." Unfortunately, the "as if" compromises the directness of the statement by implying that they are unloaded, but we will treat them as though they are loaded. No good! Safety rules must be worded forcefully so that they are never treated lightly or reduced to partial compliance.
All guns are always loaded - period!
This must be your mind-set. If someone hands you a firearm and says, "Don't worry, it's not loaded," you do not dare believe him. You need not be impolite, but check it yourself. Remember, there are no accidents, only negligent acts. Check it. Do not let yourself fall prey to a situation where you might feel compelled to squeal, "I didn't know it was loaded!"
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY
Conspicuously and continuously violated, especially with pistols, Rule II applies whether you are involved in range practice, daily carry, or examination. If the weapon is assembled and in someone's hands, it is capable of being discharged. A firearm holstered properly, lying on a table, or placed in a scabbard is of no danger to anyone. Only when handled is there a need for concern. This rule applies to fighting as well as to daily handling. If you are not willing to take a human life, do not cover a person with the muzzle. This rule also applies to your own person. Do not allow the muzzle to cover your extremities, e.g. using both hands to reholster the pistol. This practice is unsound, both procedurally and tactically. You may need a free hand for something important. Proper holster design should provide for one-handed holstering, so avoid holsters which collapse after withdrawing the pistol. (Note: It is dangerous to push the muzzle against the inside edge of the holster nearest the body to "open" it since this results in your pointing the pistol at your midsection.) Dry-practice in the home is a worthwhile habit and it will result in more deeply programmed reflexes. Most of the reflexes involved in the Modern Technique do not require that a shot be fired. Particular procedures for dry-firing in the home will be covered later. Let it suffice for now that you do not dry-fire using a "target" that you wish not to see destroyed. (Recall RULE I as well.)
Rule III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
Rule III is violated most anytime the uneducated person handles a firearm. Whether on TV, in the theaters, or at the range, people seem fascinated with having their finger on the trigger. Never stand or walk around with your finger on the trigger. It is unprofessional, dangerous, and, perhaps most damaging to the psyche, it is klutzy looking. Never fire a shot unless the sights are superimposed on the target and you have made a conscious decision to fire. Firing an unaligned pistol in a fight gains nothing. If you believe that the defensive pistol is only an intimidation tool - not something to be used - carry blanks, or better yet, reevaluate having one around. If you are going to launch a projectile, it had best be directed purposely. Danger abounds if you allow your finger to dawdle inside the trigger guard. As soon as the sights leave the target, the trigger-finger leaves the trigger and straightens alongside the frame. Since the hand normally prefers to work as a unit - as in grasping - separating the function of the trigger-finger from the rest of the hand takes effort. The five-finger grasp is a deeply programmed reflex. Under sufficient stress, and with the finger already placed on the trigger, an unexpected movement, misstep or surprise could result in a negligent discharge. Speed cannot be gained from such a premature placement of the trigger-finger. Bringing the sights to bear on the target, whether from the holster or the Guard Position, takes more time than that required for moving the trigger finger an inch or so to the trigger.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET
Know what it is, what is in line with it, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything you have not positively identified. Be aware of your surroundings, whether on the range or in a fight. Do not assume anything. Know what you are doing.
SUMMARY:
Make these rules a part of your character. Never compromise them. Improper gunhandling results from ignorance and improper role modeling, such as handling your gun like your favorite actor does. Education can cure this. You can make a difference by following these gunhandling rules and insisting that those around you do the same. Set the example. Who knows what tragedies you, or someone you influence, may prevent?
Excerpted from: The Modern Technique of the Pistol, by Greg Morrison, Gunsite Press, Paulden, Arizona, ISBN 0-9621342-3-6, Library of Congress Number 91-72644
Truly mechanical malfunctions DO happen. Accidental discharges are real. Thing is, NEGLIGENT discharges are FAR more common.
Basice maintenance of a firearm is the owners responsibility and if the owner is not smart enough to handle this task....then tough *.
Basic maitenance is indeed the responsiblity of the owner. If the firing pin drops on a chambered round when disengaging the saftey (and it had to be to cycle the round out of the chamber) of the rifle, then it is doing something it wasn't designed to do and I don't think it is the person who buys it place to go tinkering with it, especially if they have no idea what they are doing. Sure cleaning and maintenance. Filing and altering the weapon yourself is asking for trouble unless you are trained and know what you are doing. If my rifle did something like this I would take it to a smith and have it fixed asap. There is no excuse for having the gun pointed in the direction of anything valuable. A gun that fires when disengaging the safety, though, is broken and Remington is offering to fix it.
Namely,at the ground.I think it's rule number 2.
I thought rule number 1 was to ascertain whether or not the gun is loaded.No matter,point well taken.
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