Design is Dangerous

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Of course gun design is dangerous. Guns have been crafted with the intention of killing. Over the years, firearms have been used for hunting, war, and protection. Despite this aspect of danger intentionally built into guns, Remington has been battling with a design that unintentionally places its users at risk for the past 60 years.

According to an NBC report, the Remington 700 has caused at least 100 injuries and two dozen deaths due to a malfunction where the gun may fire automatically without anyone pulling the trigger. The malfunction is part of a defective safety, an issue that was originally noted by the lead engineer. Despite this warning, and more than 75 lawsuits against the company, Remington claims that there is no defect, and that the gun is completely safe. 

This defect is not merely dangerous to its users, but life-threatening. However, it is not merely the gun's defect which makes this product so dangerous; it is also the company's attitude. After being interviewed about the defect, a spokesperson for Remington claimed that the injuries were caused not by any flaw in the product, but in user error.

Thus, despite the gun's intentional danger as a weapon, the defect in the safety mechanism of the Remington 700 also makes it unintentionally dangerous to its users. And even after a multitude of injuries, deaths, and lawsuits, Remington still claims that there is no flaw in the Remington 700. So which is more dangerous, the product or the company?