Though it seems to largely be flying under the radar, a $39 million class action settlement by Taurus Firearms could impact up to 100,000 handguns with alleged safety design issues:

Brazil-based handgun maker Forjas Taurus SA has agreed to a $39 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging some of the company’s most popular semi-automatic handguns can discharge when dropped and have a defective safety that allows the gun to fire even when it’s engaged.

According to court documents filed May 15 in a U.S. District Court in Florida, the company has agreed to pay up to $30 million to owners of nine separate handgun models who opt to send their pistols back, with owners receiving anywhere from $150 to $200 for their pistols depending on how many choose that option.

The agreement also will extend the warranty for the nine handgun models, allowing gun owners to send the pistols back to have the handguns inspected by Taurus technicians and address the “safety defects” alleged in the suit. Documents show the settlement could include as many as 100,000 handguns.

The settlement also calls for a maximum $9 million in attorney’s fees.

A Taurus official confirmed the settlement agreement, arguing the company does not admit any wrongdoing.

The settlement includes the following pistols.

• PT-111 Millennium
• PT-132 Millennium
• PT-138 Millennium
• PT-140 Millennium
• PT-145 Millennium
• PT-745 Millennium
• PT-609
• PT-640
• PT-24/7

The safety issues do not apparently affect the older metal frame pistols based upon Beretta designs, nor the G2 models.