BOZEMAN – A class-action lawsuit against Remington Arms Company is now final nearly two decades after it began.
Nine-year-old Gus Barber was killed in a hunting accident on Oct. 23, 2000. The settlement became final exactly 18 years later, on Oct. 23 of this year.
Gus’s mother said her Remington Model 700 rifle went off as she was unloading it, striking Gus. She says her finger was away from the trigger. His father Richard made a promise to his son that he would spend his life finding answers.
While Remington has never admitted its guns are defective, millions of Model 700 owners now have 18 months to file for a free replacement of their rifle’s trigger — triggers Richard Barber maintains are defective.
His story has been featured on 60 Minutes and in a special report, “Remington Under Fire” on CNBC. Barber feels all of his hard work has paid off and that he has indeed honored his promise to his son.
“It’s the last milestone I had to achieve,” Barber said. “Now Remington is agreeing to retrofit new trigger mechanisms, to retrofit seven-and-a-half million rifles, and the fix is there. I want the public to be aware if there has ever been a time where they had any questions in their mind, now they can have their rifles fixed free of charge.”
Remington field for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
-Patrice Parks reporting for MTN News
