Attorneys General from nine states and the District of Columbia filed an objection [brief, PDF] with the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Wednesday to stop a proposed settlement [materials] of a class action suit against the gun manufacturer Remington. The lawsuit alleged that about 7.5 million riffles sold by Remington had a design defect that allows the rifle to shoot without the trigger being pulled. The settlement would require Remington to repair the defect on all the allegedly defective rifles. Remington has denied any wrongdoing and denied the defect, but wants to settle the lawsuit in order to avoid further exposure. The 10 Attorneys General contend [CNBC report] that the settlement does not sufficiently address public safety concerns, because it fails to notify gun owners of the defect, the urgency of getting the rifle fixed and of the danger of a gun going of on its own. They further argue that Remington’s continued denial of wrongdoing could lull gun owners into a false sense of security, which might result in fewer people having their rifles repaired. The settlement has received heavy criticism [CNBC report] from several parties, including the presiding judge, for not effectively communicating the settlement and for being a publicity stunt for Remington. The objection from the Attorneys General comes a month before the court is set to decide whether to approve the settlement.

There have been several lawsuits against gun manufacturers of late. In October the Connecticut Superior Court dismissed [JURIST report] a lawsuit against Remington, based on Remington’s continued sale of semi-automatic rifles to the public, filed in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. The dismissal was appealed [JURIST report] to the Connecticut Supreme Court in November. In 2004 a gun manufacturer agreed to settle [JURIST report] a lawsuit and pay damages to victims following a sniper attack in Washington DC.