Alec Baldwin fired prop gun, killing 1 on movie set, Oct 2021

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How much time does it take to put the gun on half 🤬🤬🤬🤬,open the loading gate and spin the cylinder to see if every chamber is empty? Not very long IMO.

They were rehearsing so the gun should have been empty. If the AD or Alec Baldwin had done this simple task this tragedy could have been avoided. JMO.

I think someone in the chain could have done this quickly. The armorer certainly should have…
 
I think someone in the chain could have done this quickly. The armorer certainly should have…
Agreed. But if I'm either the guy handing the gun to someone and ensuring them that it's "cold" or - more especially so - the guy handing the gun, I want to check that myself or, if I'm truly not able to make that simple check, have someone specifically show me why they say it's "cold" (safe). Absolutely no way would I be handling that gun without knowing this first hand.
 
What if he discharged it when the director had not yet started shooting? What if he discharged it outside the parameters of that scene?

Because, from what I hear, he wasn't supposed to be shooting at the director or the cinematographer. When a shot is needed of someone aiming directly at the camera - it has to be blocked very very carefully and rehearsed many times without anyone pulling a trigger (would be a good reason to use a rubber gun).

AFAIK, no scene they were shooting that day called for Baldwin to shoot AT the camera (it's a rare thing to do). When it is done, a remote is used to operate the camera (and there's bullet proof glass in front of the camera - they are expensive).

"Cold gun!" shout (when it wasn't) is bad enough. Shooting a prop gun AT people when it's not on script and the cameras aren't rolling is very peculiar. Lax director? Substance use on the set? What was going on?
But where are you getting any of this? Based on what you hear from where? Isn't it just conjecture? I haven't found a single thing yet that says anything about what he was directed to do, where they wanted him to shoot. I don’t think any of this can be assumed, yet I keep seeing it repeated that he was not supposed to be shooting at the camera.

Just how do we know this?

Personally, I'd like some facts before I can state that he was doing anything that he had not been directed to do.
 
How live rounds got in Alec Baldwin's gun is key to 'Rust' shooting investigation - CNN

Normally, when a gunman aims a firearm at another person and deliberately pulls the trigger causing death, the charge of murder is easily sustained. However, that's not the case here -- and it has nothing to do with Baldwin's power, wealth or notoriety. Here, both the law and the facts suggest he is innocent of any criminal conduct. On the contrary, he may be fairly viewed as one of the surviving victims of this horrific incident, likely to be haunted for the rest of his life by the role he unintentionally played in causing Hutchins' death...

The criminal law in New Mexico is like that in other US states and criminalizes deaths and injuries caused by recklessness or criminal negligence. These laws generally refer to the crimes of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. In this case, prosecutors will be looking at the facts to determine who had the responsibility to examine the gun before it was handed to Baldwin to confirm that it was loaded only with blanks. Any person involved who failed to properly examine the firearms slated for use might be a potential target in the criminal investigation.

Baldwin did not have the responsibility to stop the rehearsal and examine the gun's cylinder to determine that it really was a "cold gun" loaded with blanks. By custom and practice in the movie industry, an actor has the right to rely on other individuals on set with the responsibility to ensure that prop firearms are safe for use. Police likely would want to interview the film's "armorer," Hannah Gutierrez, who has yet to provide a public statement, and the assistant director who passed the weapon in question to Baldwin.

ETA - Paul Callan, the author of this piece, is a legal analyst with CNN
 
MOO: Someone was probably taking advantage of the young armorer by pressuring her to let them take the vintage revolvers out for some off-set fun. Sounds like she was not appropriately qualified anyway.

That is for sure. I can't believe the lack of protocol and security here. Amazing. These are adults. Managing guns, and ammunition. And it seems like there was absolutely no checks or layers of security. Just grab any gun, good to go.

If this had been my job, each gun would have been secured. If someone came to get a gun, they would have had fill out a paper for which gun, sign it, I would take the paper to the safe, opened the safe, checked out the gun, signed the paperwork that it had been "cleared", and the person receiving the gun would have had to sign it had been checked by him or her and cleared. Place paperwork in safe.

This place sounds like guns and ammo were just laying around randomly. WTH!?
 
MOO: Someone was probably taking advantage of the young armorer by pressuring her to let them take the vintage revolvers out for some off-set fun. Sounds like she was not appropriately qualified anyway.

Yeah, or she liked showing off her gunplay .. either way she should have said no, and that comes down to maturity and respect for weapons. I still can't believe it ... FFS!
 
The majority of traditional Western style single action revolvers, including the Colt .45, will fire if they are dropped and have all 6 chambers loaded. One chamber aligns with the hammer, and if the revolver is dropped, the hammer strikes the primer and the round is fired. Only the modern Ruger, which has a transfer bar safety, and some similar copies, might be able to be dropped without an accidental discharge. I own a Ruger single action because it is safer than its Colt ancestor.

MOO

Well, I brought it up because someone said that there’s no such thing as an ‘accidental discharge,’ and obviously there is. MOO But I think it’s fairly irrelevant to our discussion here, since I don’t think anyone’s claimed that the gun was dropped.

But I’ve missed two important things.

1: Even if it was a rehearsal, why would Baldwin be pointing a gun at people who weren’t actors in the scene?

2: Since it was a rehearsal, why would he pull the trigger?
 
But where are you getting any of this? Based on what you hear from where? Isn't it just conjecture? I haven't found a single thing yet that says anything about what he was directed to do, where they wanted him to shoot. I don’t think any of this can be assumed, yet I keep seeing it repeated that he was not supposed to be shooting at the camera.

Just how do we know this?

Personally, I'd like some facts before I can state that he was doing anything that he had not been directed to do.

The latest LA Times describes the scene that was being rehearsed from a copy of the script they obtained:

(Note: Characters "Lucas" and "Rust" are the White Hats. "Rust" is played by Baldwin. "Wood""Miller" and "Drum are the Black Hats.)

"... inside the church, a shootout ensues that tears the building apart.

Wood and his men begin firing guns at Rust, shredding the church pew in front of him. Miller scrambles, firing wildly. Wood and Drum fire their weapons as Rust hits the floor and rolls under pews. Out the other side, the men are staggering, their guns barking as they fire at each other. In the midst of gunfire, Rust forces Wood and Drum to take cover. Rust, moving backward in the middle of unrelenting fire, makes it out a door."
 
How to load a Colt Single Action Revolver:


Edit: Note that we do not know this was the type of firearm used; I was responding to a general question about "side load" revolvers.
That is standard SASS or Cowboy Action shooting protocol.

The guns being used in the set weren’t inventoried and secured each evening? And checked for use prior to being placed on a cart? That anyone could pick up?
 
Snipped from the article 'Rust' gaffer publicly blames armorer, producers for 'negligence' that led to Halyna Hutchins' death

Svetnoy’s full Facebook post follows below:

My vision of the RUST tragedy

I have received hundreds of calls, text messages, letters with words of support and condolences since the day of the tragedy with Halyna Hutchins, and I’m very grateful to everyone. Yes, I knew Halyna, not for a year. I worked with Her on almost all of her films. Sometimes we’ve shared food and water. We’ve been burning under the sun, freezing in the snow on the shoots. We took care of each other. Yes, I can say with 100% confidence she was my friend.

WAS!!!

I also received many calls from different mass media sources from multiple countries asking to tell what happened; also from numerous institutes and universities for the students to know what needs the most attention.

Yes, I was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Halyna during this fatal shot that took her life and injured the director Joel Souza. I was holding her in my arms while she was dying. Her blood was on my hands.

I want to tell my opinion on why this has happened. I think I have the right to do it.

It’s the fault of negligence and unprofessionalism.

The negligence from the person who was supposed to check the weapon on the site did not do this; the person who had to announce that the loaded gun was on the site did not do this;

the person who should have checked this weapon before bringing it to the set did not do it.

And the DEATH OF THE HUMAN IS THE RESULT!

I’m sure that we had the professionals in every department, but one - the department that was responsible for the weapons. There is no way a twenty-four-year-old woman can be a professional with armory; there is no way that her more-or-less the same-aged friend from school, neighborhood, Instagram, or God knows where else, can be a professional in this field.

Professionals are the people who have spent years on sets, people who know this job from A to Z; These are the people who have the safety on set at the level of reflexes; they do not need to be told to put the sandbag on a tripod, fix the ladder on the stage, or fence off the explosion site. They have it in their blood.

I’m calling out to the Producers!

We have a fascinating and amazing job, but it’s also dangerous. We film in the mountains, in the open water, underwater. We have explosions, shooting guns, car crashes, electricity after all, and much more.

To save a dime sometimes, you hire people who are not fully qualified for the complicated and dangerous job, and you risk the lives of the other people who are close and your lives as well.

I understand that you always fight for the budget, but you cannot allow this to happen. There should always be at least one professional in each department who knows the job. It is an absolute must to avoid such a tragedy, like the tragedy with Halyna.

I do not wish anyone to go through what I went through, what her husband @matt Hutchins and her son Andros went through, and the actor Alec Baldwin, who has been handed a gun on set. He has to live with the thought that he took the life of the human because of unprofessional people.

Dear Producers, by hiring professionals, you are buying peace of mind for yourself and the people around you. It is true that the professionals can cost a little more and sometimes can be a little bit more demanding, but it is worth it. No saved penny is worth the LIFE of the person!

And finally, dear Producers, please remember that it’s not you who are giving the opportunities to the people you hire make their money; it’s the people you hire who help You make Your money. Remember this!

I also want to thank the camera operator @Ried Russell, who was with us and helped save Halyna. Thank you to the set medic @Cherlyn Schaefer who did everything she could to save Halyna’s life.

We all loved Halyna.

May God Bless her soul.

Rest in Peace.

And God protect Us All.
 
<modsnip - quoted post removed>
There are multiple production companies involved and AB's isn't even the main one. Read what he specifically says about AB, please. It is the exact opposite of what you have stated.

And I get the feeling this guy has no "Fs" left to give. He seems to be telling it like it is, or how he sees it anyway. I have no doubt he'd call out AB as well (or at least not sound so sympathetic towards him) if he actually held him responsible.
 
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I did. Either he didn't know AB was a producer (unlikely) or he is blaming him in a roundabout way.


I do not wish anyone to go through what I went through, what her husband @matt Hutchins and her son Andros went through, and the actor Alec Baldwin, who has been handed a gun on set. He has to live with the thought that he took the life of the human because of unprofessional people.
 
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