Brazilian gun manufacturer, Forjas Taurus SA, agreed to settle claims regarding more than 250,000 defective revolvers sold in the U.S. that can go off when dropped. The settlement allows owners to have the guns repaired or replaced at the company’s expense.
The settlement includes the following Taurus pistol models: PT-111 Millennium, PT-132 Millennium, PT-138 Millennium, PT-140 Millennium, PT-145 Millennium, PT-745 Millennium, PT-609; PT-640 and PT-24/7. The “Pro” series of each of these models is also included in the recall.
The company is covering all shipping and handling costs, but says members should review their state and federal regulations before shipping their weapon. Detailed instructions can be found on the settlement website.
Gun Industry Exempt
Gun owners should know that the gun industry is the only manufacturer of a consumer product that is exempt from federal health and safety regulation. When the Consumer Product Safety Commission was established in 1972, it created a special carve-out in the law that exempted the gun industry from oversight by the CPSC stating that:
“The Consumer Product Safety Commission shall make no ruling or order that restricts the manufacture or sale of firearms, fire-arms ammunition, or components of firearms ammunition, including black powder or gunpowder for firearms.” Section 3(e) of P.L. 94-284 [S. 644]; May 11,1976.
That means there is no government agency that can make a gun manufacturer recall defective guns or ammunition. Therefore, gun owners have to rely on the gun manufacturers to do the right thing when it is determined that a gun is defective.
