Alec Baldwin 'heartbroken' and cooperating with police after fatal onset shooting of Halyna Hutchins

[Batman]

And here I thought it was a BLANK that was fired. It was truly a LIVE ROUND?
Shit... whoever let that go by is fucked.

Um-a blank wouldn't have had a projectile to begin with?

[Lord Revan]

And here I thought it was a BLANK that was fired. It was truly a LIVE ROUND?
Shit... whoever let that go by is fucked.

Um-a blank wouldn't have had a projectile to begin with?

yes though it would look close enough to live round (especially a jacketed live round) that a person with little training could get them mixed up. That said I read a news piece that said they were taking potshots at empty cans on the set during down time (with live ammo obviously) and the gun used here could have been one of those used in that.

EDIT:Blanks may also have wooden (or other fragile material) plug on them to keep the powder inside and/or assist in cycling the firearm (in-fact one the functions of the blank fire adapters in military weapons is to make sure that plug is broken and doesn't become a projectile), also IIRC the previous mentioned Jon-Erik Hexum was killed by one of those plugs when he was playing with a blank firing weapon.

[Batman]

It's a movie presumably depicting in-narrative real guns. Of course their blanks (or completely inert dummy rounds) would look reasonably closely like live rounds, they're pretending TO be live rounds

[Zwinmar]

If one assumes it was a blank round it is really not hard to turn a blank round into a live round by making a field expedient projectile with a cleaning rod, a rock, a small piece of metal, et cetera . A blank firing adapter (BFA) is required to let the weapon cycle correctly when firing blanks, they also incidentally make it safer as it plugs the barrel (that is safer, not safe)

[Broomstick]

Nope.

The bullet from the Rust set went completely through the torso of one person and into another. That's a full power bullet. The actual lead slug has been recovered from the shoulder of the Director. It was a goddamned real bullet.

The gun apparently was an actual, antique Colt SAA, a single-action revolver from the 19th Century, as confirmed by the District Attorney involved in today's press conference. That's a gun designed for self defense via killing human beings and even if it's a relic from the 1870's or 1880's well, they got the basic design right the first time. As demonstrated, it's very effective at that job.

There should never, ever, have been a live round anywhere near that gun as long as it was being used as a movie prop.

Here is a 10 minute video on the Colt SAA: https://youtu.be/CWOwdEiKuxw

Simple, but deadly if you get careless.

Why use such a thing as a prop? Well, it IS authentic to the period of the movie....

Authentic is nice. Everyone alive at the end of the work day is better. So, so many things could have been done better on this production...

[Sidewinder]

Actor Adam Baldwin (no relation to Alec) just tore into Alec, for neglecting to follow basic firearms safety rules.

Adam Baldwin Weighs In On The Tragic Shooting On The Set Of Rust, Suggests Alec Baldwin Should “Man Up, Confess And Throw Himself On The Mercy Of The Court”
Josh Berger
October 27, 2021

Last Thursday, anti-gun actor Alec Baldwin discharged a loaded gun on the set of Rust, an upcoming western film he is also producing, killing Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins and injuring Director Joel Souza.

As new information regarding the film’s production is revealed, it becomes more evident that this tragic incident could’ve easily been avoided had its producers, including Alec Baldwin himself, had addressed the crew’s concerns regarding safety measures on the set.

Actor Adam Baldwin recently weighed in on the the shooting involving Alec Baldwin, urging the Rust actor and producer to “throw himself on the mercy of the court” on account of his negligence on the set of the upcoming western film.

Before we begin it is worth pointing out, for those who may not be aware, that Adam Baldwin is in no way, shape, or form related to Alec Baldwin. Further, and unlike Alec, Adam Baldwin is a gun owner that actually knows how to operate firearms.

Both his experience as an actor in Hollywood and as a gun owner give Adam Baldwin sound insight regarding safety measures on movie sets, and he’s taken to social media to share some of that experience to those still wondering what happened on the set of Rust.

“He won’t take it, but there’s good advice out there for Alec now to man up, confess and throw himself on the mercy of the court (both legal & public opinion) and $ pay $ for his negligence/recklessness,” wrote the Independence Day actor.

As an observation, Baldwin also notes that “the PR reaction team that was deployed in the media & online last Thursday and through the weekend was inept in controlling the narrative” regarding the shooting involving Alec Baldwin.

He added, “Because a) their ignorance of firearms in general and gun safety in particular & b) the facts of the tragedy were cut and dried.”

In a follow-up tweet, the Serenity actor further explained, “In fact, the PR rapid response team’s Carvillian and media flacks instincts have unwittingly harmed a client that – had he simply confessed and taken full responsibility, pleaded for mercy and made restitution – would face financial loss. Maybe he’ll be charged. Maybe not.”

Baldwin continued, “Or, he’ll face a trial so that lawyers can hoover up all of his $,” adding , “He’d plead down before a potential trial drags on…”

Earlier this week, Adam Baldwin corrected the language used in and article published on Fox News, fervently stating that “Firearms don’t just ‘go off.’ Trigger must first be pulled.”

Baldwin quoted the article and added in the words he’d change, seen in brackets, writing, “Alec Baldwin accidental [negligent] shooting details emerge: [He] was practicing [rehearsing] for a scene on the movie ‘Rust’ when [he cocked & pulled the trigger so that] his firearm went off.”

“It Is Not The Gun’s Fault!” Baldwin wrote in response to a tweet by conservative columnist Ed Morrissey, which read, “It is time for Hollywood to stop using real firearms for filming? CBS’ expert says it’s never been safer, but Brandon Lee’s family says enough is enough.”

Morrissey alluded to an interview Brandon Lee’s sister Shannon did with CBS Mornings, wherein she shared her opinion on the shooting on the set of Rust, asserting, “It’s just such a maddening thing to have happened, because it’s tragic, and it’s horrible, and yet it didn’t need to happen.”

For those out of the loop, Brandon Lee was shot and killed on the set of The Crow in 1993, when actor Michael Massee, who played the character of “Funboy” in the film, fired a blank at Lee using a .44 Magnum; shooting a dummy bullet from a previous scene instead.

Providing his followers with a proper definition as to what a “cold weapon” really is, Adam Baldwin went on to explain that this particular term refers to “1) An empty gun. 2) A gun with dummy rounds.”

“Dummy rounds are easily eyeballed at the primer,” Baldwin further explained. “They can also be easily extracted and shaken to heat the inert BBs rattling around in the cartridge instead of packed black powder.”

When asked on Twitter whether he had ever been “handed a gun you were assured was cold, which you then checked and found to be hot?” Baldwin said that in over 40 years he’s never been handed a cold gun that he didn’t check himself to make sure this was the case.

“In 40+ years no one’s ever handed me a firearm on set that wasn’t open and easily eyeballed by me personally as to its status, loaded or unloaded,” stated Baldwin.

He added, “Alec has experienced this same himself as a 40yr film veteran and producer,” concluding that Alec Baldwin “was negligent, at best.”

Baldwin also went on to share the official “Screen Actor’s Guild Safety Bulletin For The Motion Picture Industry,” which makes evident that all weapons need to be treated “as though they are loaded and/or ready to use.”

“Do not play with weapons and never point one at anyone, including yourself,” the document reads, later adding that all weapons on set “must undergo thorough safety inspection, testing, and cleaning on a daily basis by qualified personnel.”.

Adam Baldwin also proposes an interesting theory, suggesting that COVID-19 protocols may have played a part in the shooting on the set of Rust.

“Did COVID protocols that segregate crews into A, B & C groups put the armorer in Group B and therefore required to socially distance from close contact with the A team? (e.g., principle actor/producer, director, cinematographer, 1stAD)?” asked Baldwin.

Baldwin was recently on the YouTube channel of conservative radio host, and former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, where he discussed his COVID-19 segregation theory on the set of Rust and commented on the whole Alec Baldwin situation, which is most definitely worth a watch.

<Snip.>

Alec Baldwin may get some leniency if he threw the assistant director- the guy who handed him the gun, and declared it was "cold"- to the wolves.

Crew member who gave Baldwin gun subject of prior complaint
By GILLIAN FLACCUS and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
October 25, 2021 GMT

<Snip info already reported.>

[Prop maker and licensed pyrotechnician] Maggie Goll] became most concerned, however, when the supervising pyrotechnician, who is diabetic, was found unconscious in a chair, she said. [Assistant Director Dave] Halls wanted to resume filming after the man was removed from the set even though Goll, the remaining pyrotechnician on site, didn’t have the qualifications to supervise the complicated series of pyrotechnic effects that were planned.

“One of the things that stuck out to me most about that day is the fact that he called out on radio over channel one, ‘Hey, Maggie says we can keep going!’ and I basically held the button down so he couldn’t transmit to anyone else on that channel while I yelled out, ‘No, Dave, that’s not what I said. We’re not doing that,’” she recalled in a phone interview.

She filed an internal complaint with the executive producers of Blumhouse Productions about that day, she said.

“To my knowledge nothing was done after my complaints,” she said in an email.

“I am gutted at not pushing harder for greater accountability and safety,” she wrote. “Many of us have messaged each other wondering the same thing: is there something we could have done then that would have prevented the tragedy?”

[bilateralrope]

Mythbusters did use live rounds as well as explosives, with much NEVER TRY THIS AT HOME, use of ranges intended for the purpose of using dangerous projectiles, safety protocols, and often professionals handling the explosives rather than the cast of the show. Even then, they once had a cannonball go rogue and thank goodness it was just property damage and no people hurt.

Act of Valor used live rounds, as well as actual SEALs. The only other film I’m aware of that used live ammunition was the Soviet film Come and See (Of course, that’s the English name – I’m not even going to try Cyrillic although the link has the Russian and Belarusian names)

With Mythbusters is obvious why they needed to use live rounds. I'm not familiar with the other films mentioned.
I should have specified that I can't think of a good reason to use live rounds in a fictional work.

Focusing on the gun is a bit of a red herring. Long hours and inadequate safety precautions in the name of doing things quickly and cheaply find many many ways to injure and kill, that's why the union crews insisted on better standards and walked because they weren't getting them.

But Hollywood right now is obsessed with quick and cheap, so safety standards are going down and injuries and deaths are the result.

Unfortunately, it's going to be really hard to go after the people responsible for everything being quick and cheap. Standard practice for Hollywood is to spin up a new company for every film produced, which insulates them from the consequences of people below them cutting costs in predictable ways. While making sure that anyone with the backbone to enforce health and safety rules has trouble finding work.

The best case I can see is the courts making an example of everyone who knew about the dangerous practices on this film and didn't do all they could to prevent harm. Given how lax everything there sounds, that's likely to be most of the people who remained after the union crew walked out.

I don't see that happening. The most I can see is some high profile people getting punished, maybe this film getting scrapped, while the people in charge continue to hire people unwilling or unable to enforce health and safety rules.

[LadyTevar]

EDIT:Blanks may also have wooden (or other fragile material) plug on them to keep the powder inside and/or assist in cycling the firearm (in-fact one the functions of the blank fire adapters in military weapons is to make sure that plug is broken and doesn't become a projectile), also IIRC the previous mentioned Jon-Erik Hexum was killed by one of those plugs when he was playing with a blank firing weapon.

CORRECTION: Jon-Erik Hexum was killed when the BLAST from the blank firing shattered his skull.
There was no "plug" in the blank, just gunpowder. The explosive force of the gunpowder going off that close to his skull was enough to crack it.
In other words -- the pressure wave killed him.

[Gandalf]

Focusing on the gun is a bit of a red herring. Long hours and inadequate safety precautions in the name of doing things quickly and cheaply find many many ways to injure and kill, that's why the union crews insisted on better standards and walked because they weren't getting them.

Yeah. That's the part of the story which really isn't getting the attention that it deserves. This is what happens when you treat your labour poorly, and then hire less skilled people to fill their places.

[Lord Revan]

EDIT:Blanks may also have wooden (or other fragile material) plug on them to keep the powder inside and/or assist in cycling the firearm (in-fact one the functions of the blank fire adapters in military weapons is to make sure that plug is broken and doesn't become a projectile), also IIRC the previous mentioned Jon-Erik Hexum was killed by one of those plugs when he was playing with a blank firing weapon.

CORRECTION: Jon-Erik Hexum was killed when the BLAST from the blank firing shattered his skull.
There was no "plug" in the blank, just gunpowder. The explosive force of the gunpowder going off that close to his skull was enough to crack it.
In other words -- the pressure wave killed him.

I stand corrected I've only read about it second hand (as I was 2 in 1984) so I couldn't remember if it was the plug or just the blast that killed him.

[Darth Yan]

Actor Adam Baldwin (no relation to Alec) just tore into Alec, for neglecting to follow basic firearms safety rules.

Adam Baldwin Weighs In On The Tragic Shooting On The Set Of Rust, Suggests Alec Baldwin Should “Man Up, Confess And Throw Himself On The Mercy Of The Court”
Josh Berger
October 27, 2021

Last Thursday, anti-gun actor Alec Baldwin discharged a loaded gun on the set of Rust, an upcoming western film he is also producing, killing Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins and injuring Director Joel Souza.

As new information regarding the film’s production is revealed, it becomes more evident that this tragic incident could’ve easily been avoided had its producers, including Alec Baldwin himself, had addressed the crew’s concerns regarding safety measures on the set.

Actor Adam Baldwin recently weighed in on the the shooting involving Alec Baldwin, urging the Rust actor and producer to “throw himself on the mercy of the court” on account of his negligence on the set of the upcoming western film.

Before we begin it is worth pointing out, for those who may not be aware, that Adam Baldwin is in no way, shape, or form related to Alec Baldwin. Further, and unlike Alec, Adam Baldwin is a gun owner that actually knows how to operate firearms.

Both his experience as an actor in Hollywood and as a gun owner give Adam Baldwin sound insight regarding safety measures on movie sets, and he’s taken to social media to share some of that experience to those still wondering what happened on the set of Rust.

“He won’t take it, but there’s good advice out there for Alec now to man up, confess and throw himself on the mercy of the court (both legal & public opinion) and $ pay $ for his negligence/recklessness,” wrote the Independence Day actor.

As an observation, Baldwin also notes that “the PR reaction team that was deployed in the media & online last Thursday and through the weekend was inept in controlling the narrative” regarding the shooting involving Alec Baldwin.

He added, “Because a) their ignorance of firearms in general and gun safety in particular & b) the facts of the tragedy were cut and dried.”

In a follow-up tweet, the Serenity actor further explained, “In fact, the PR rapid response team’s Carvillian and media flacks instincts have unwittingly harmed a client that – had he simply confessed and taken full responsibility, pleaded for mercy and made restitution – would face financial loss. Maybe he’ll be charged. Maybe not.”

Baldwin continued, “Or, he’ll face a trial so that lawyers can hoover up all of his $,” adding , “He’d plead down before a potential trial drags on…”

Earlier this week, Adam Baldwin corrected the language used in and article published on Fox News, fervently stating that “Firearms don’t just ‘go off.’ Trigger must first be pulled.”

Baldwin quoted the article and added in the words he’d change, seen in brackets, writing, “Alec Baldwin accidental [negligent] shooting details emerge: [He] was practicing [rehearsing] for a scene on the movie ‘Rust’ when [he cocked & pulled the trigger so that] his firearm went off.”

“It Is Not The Gun’s Fault!” Baldwin wrote in response to a tweet by conservative columnist Ed Morrissey, which read, “It is time for Hollywood to stop using real firearms for filming? CBS’ expert says it’s never been safer, but Brandon Lee’s family says enough is enough.”

Morrissey alluded to an interview Brandon Lee’s sister Shannon did with CBS Mornings, wherein she shared her opinion on the shooting on the set of Rust, asserting, “It’s just such a maddening thing to have happened, because it’s tragic, and it’s horrible, and yet it didn’t need to happen.”

For those out of the loop, Brandon Lee was shot and killed on the set of The Crow in 1993, when actor Michael Massee, who played the character of “Funboy” in the film, fired a blank at Lee using a .44 Magnum; shooting a dummy bullet from a previous scene instead.

Providing his followers with a proper definition as to what a “cold weapon” really is, Adam Baldwin went on to explain that this particular term refers to “1) An empty gun. 2) A gun with dummy rounds.”

“Dummy rounds are easily eyeballed at the primer,” Baldwin further explained. “They can also be easily extracted and shaken to heat the inert BBs rattling around in the cartridge instead of packed black powder.”

When asked on Twitter whether he had ever been “handed a gun you were assured was cold, which you then checked and found to be hot?” Baldwin said that in over 40 years he’s never been handed a cold gun that he didn’t check himself to make sure this was the case.

“In 40+ years no one’s ever handed me a firearm on set that wasn’t open and easily eyeballed by me personally as to its status, loaded or unloaded,” stated Baldwin.

He added, “Alec has experienced this same himself as a 40yr film veteran and producer,” concluding that Alec Baldwin “was negligent, at best.”

Baldwin also went on to share the official “Screen Actor’s Guild Safety Bulletin For The Motion Picture Industry,” which makes evident that all weapons need to be treated “as though they are loaded and/or ready to use.”

“Do not play with weapons and never point one at anyone, including yourself,” the document reads, later adding that all weapons on set “must undergo thorough safety inspection, testing, and cleaning on a daily basis by qualified personnel.”.

Adam Baldwin also proposes an interesting theory, suggesting that COVID-19 protocols may have played a part in the shooting on the set of Rust.

“Did COVID protocols that segregate crews into A, B & C groups put the armorer in Group B and therefore required to socially distance from close contact with the A team? (e.g., principle actor/producer, director, cinematographer, 1stAD)?” asked Baldwin.

Baldwin was recently on the YouTube channel of conservative radio host, and former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, where he discussed his COVID-19 segregation theory on the set of Rust and commented on the whole Alec Baldwin situation, which is most definitely worth a watch.

<Snip.>

Alec Baldwin may get some leniency if he threw the assistant director- the guy who handed him the gun, and declared it was "cold"- to the wolves.

Crew member who gave Baldwin gun subject of prior complaint
By GILLIAN FLACCUS and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
October 25, 2021 GMT

<Snip info already reported.>

[Prop maker and licensed pyrotechnician] Maggie Goll] became most concerned, however, when the supervising pyrotechnician, who is diabetic, was found unconscious in a chair, she said. [Assistant Director Dave] Halls wanted to resume filming after the man was removed from the set even though Goll, the remaining pyrotechnician on site, didn’t have the qualifications to supervise the complicated series of pyrotechnic effects that were planned.

“One of the things that stuck out to me most about that day is the fact that he called out on radio over channel one, ‘Hey, Maggie says we can keep going!’ and I basically held the button down so he couldn’t transmit to anyone else on that channel while I yelled out, ‘No, Dave, that’s not what I said. We’re not doing that,’” she recalled in a phone interview.

She filed an internal complaint with the executive producers of Blumhouse Productions about that day, she said.

“To my knowledge nothing was done after my complaints,” she said in an email.

“I am gutted at not pushing harder for greater accountability and safety,” she wrote. “Many of us have messaged each other wondering the same thing: is there something we could have done then that would have prevented the tragedy?”

Bounding into Comics is an alt right hate site.

[Solauren]

Yeah, the upper levels of the production are all accountable for this. Shut the production down, charge them all, and see who cuts deals to nail the others.

Huh. I was thinking that maybe we should charge whomever was in charge of the firearms on set and responsible for making sure they’re safe to use as intended. And maybe anyone who might have mis-used or improperly accessed those props. You know, the people whose actions or inactions were directly responsible for a live load being in a gun used as a prop.

In this case, we have a relatively inexperienced 24 year woman who might have been banking on her father’s name/reputation paired with an older, male Assistant Director who had been fired from a prior project due to playing fast-and-loose with the safety rules. If anyone is charged, they should be first in line.

True. However, the people above those two also have a responsibility for their hiring, and performance. They may not share the same level of blame as the two you named, but they certainly share some of it.

Like I said, arrest them all, and see who cuts deals. That would quickly determine who was doing their job, and who wasn't.

[Formless]

You do know you need Probable cause before you go and arrest someone, right? Real life doesn't work like a cop show. Those tactics only make people like Baldwin lawyer up rather than cooperate.

[LadyTevar]

Yeah, the upper levels of the production are all accountable for this. Shut the production down, charge them all, and see who cuts deals to nail the others.

Huh. I was thinking that maybe we should charge whomever was in charge of the firearms on set and responsible for making sure they’re safe to use as intended. And maybe anyone who might have mis-used or improperly accessed those props. You know, the people whose actions or inactions were directly responsible for a live load being in a gun used as a prop.

In this case, we have a relatively inexperienced 24 year woman who might have been banking on her father’s name/reputation paired with an older, male Assistant Director who had been fired from a prior project due to playing fast-and-loose with the safety rules. If anyone is charged, they should be first in line.

True. However, the people above those two also have a responsibility for their hiring, and performance. They may not share the same level of blame as the two you named, but they certainly share some of it.

Like I said, arrest them all, and see who cuts deals. That would quickly determine who was doing their job, and who wasn't.

From what I can tell, the ones MOST RESPONSIBLE are the last ones to handle that gun -- Propmaster (who should have been the one handling all guns), (possibly someone else who loaded live rounds), Producer (who called it "Cold"), Baldwin (who fired it)

Yes, I added one, as I have to wonder if someone had tampered/played with the weapon and put it back loaded. I do not see the Propmaster, even as inexperienced as she is, pulling away a loaded gun. She's still at fault, because either when it was loaded with live ammo, or when the Producer grabbed it, SHE was not doing her job of keeping all weapons under her control.

[bilateralrope]

Alec Baldwin calls Rust movie shooting death 'one in a trillion episode'

Alec Baldwin on Saturday described the fatal shooting on the set of his movie as a "one in a trillion episode" and said he supports limits on the use of real guns in films and television shows.

Baldwin, speaking with reporters for the first time since he accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a gun he was told was not loaded, said he had been told not to comment on the investigation by authorities in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"I'm not allowed to make any comments because it's an ongoing investigation," the actor told reporters in an impromptu roadside conversation with photographers and camera crews who had located him in a small town in Vermont.

"We are eagerly awaiting the sheriff's department telling us what their investigation has yielded," Baldwin said.

Hutchins, 42, was killed and Joel Souza, the director of the indie Western movie "Rust", was wounded when Baldwin fired a gun loaded with a real bullet during a rehearsal on the set on October 21. Baldwin had been told the gun was safe.

No charges have been filed against anyone and the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department has said its investigation will take time to complete. It remains unclear how live ammunition found its way on to the set.

Baldwin called Hutchins his friend and said her family was "overwhelmed with grief".

"There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode," he said.

The incident has led to calls by some in the industry for real guns, which usually carry blanks or dummy bullets, to be banned on movie and television sets. Baldwin said he supported the efforts.

"I do know that an ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I'm extremely interested in," Baldwin said. "Some new measures have to be taken."

"I'm not an expert in this field. So whatever other people decide is the best way to go, in terms of protecting people's safety on film sets, I'm all in favor of and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can."

Baldwin, best known for TV comedy "30 Rock", and his wife Hilaria have six children. He asked the media to stop following him and his family.

He knows he shouldn't be talking about it because it's an ongoing investigation. Yet he can't resist talking about it to downplay his negligence.

[Crazedwraith]

Yeah, 'one in a trillion' is a massive exaggeration.

And he was told it was 'empty'? I owe some people some apologies. I'd assumed he was loaded with blanks he was supposed to fire that went wrong. It being empty is something he could check quite easily. (if it was supposed to be litterally empty and not loaded with snapcaps for dry firing or something.)

[Broomstick]

He knows he shouldn't be talking about it because it's an ongoing investigation. Yet he can't resist talking about it to downplay his negligence.

In fairness to Mr. Balwin let's have a link to the actual 4 minutes rather than that heavily edited transpcript you posted:

TMZ video by way of CNN

Don't overlook the motivation that he and his family were being hounded by reporters to the point his kids were crying. Or do you support paparazzi chasing after people and harassing them? He wasn't asking for relief for himself, he was asking so relief for his family from the reporters chasing after him. There have been traffic accidents caused by this sort of pursuit, do we need to add more human injury or even death to this tragedy?

I'm no fan of Baldwin, but I'm even less a fan of this sort of relentless hounding of someone who is part of a current story.

I'm pretty appalled that the reporters pursuing him could be troubled to even remember the name of the woman who died - they don't give a fuck about her or the actual facts, they just want something appalling from Baldwin they can profit from.

[Broomstick]

Yeah, 'one in a trillion' is a massive exaggeration.

Baldwin is not a lawyer, it's likely he's been traumatized (in the past actors in his situation have suffered PTSD for the remainder of their lives), and he unlikely to be particularly rational between his own emotional state and concern for his family. I'll cut him some slack on that.

And he was told it was 'empty'?

I gather that was how he interpreted the phrase "cold gun" but, not being Mr. Baldwin, I'm not 100% sure of that.

I owe some people some apologies. I'd assumed he was loaded with blanks he was supposed to fire that went wrong. It being empty is something he could check quite easily. (if it was supposed to be litterally empty and not loaded with snapcaps for dry firing or something.)

Apparently they were using a accurate (and functional) replica of the 1873 Colt single army action revolver (on one of the several other boards I hang out on someone gave very detailed information and the name of the company, but I'm not going to bother to dig that link up unless someone really asks for it). I am not an expert on these matters, but apparently it's a little different than some
more recent revolver designs. Instead of the entire cylinder flipping out so you can examine all the holes in it and easily and safely look down the barrel to make sure all is clear, the 1873 Colt SAA has a "loading port" at the rear of the cylinder that you open, allowing access to the bullet chambers one at a time. There is no way to see into the entire cylinder all at once without disassembling the gun. Nor is there any way to safely look down the barrel at all, again, absent disassembling the gun. In order to inspect the cylinder and make sure it is empty you have to index it, one chamber at a time, until you have gone all the way around. Don't lose count while you're doing it, you might miss something. Also, when the gun is uncocked the cylinder can't be turned, to index the gun you have to half cock the gun and leave it in that state while indexing. Don't screw up - even without a full draw on the hammer if you bump it wrong a half-cock impact can be sufficient to fire a live round.

If you're thinking that maybe this isn't the safest or best collection of design decisions you may have company - alternatives such as break, swing-out, and so one were developed later. (I'm not going to get into a discussion about the merits of the various designs, or their drawbacks, not the least because I'm no expert).

In sum - this is not the most common mechanism or the easiest gun to check for rounds of any sort being in it. Mr. Baldwin is known to be anything but a gun enthusiast and outside of his acting job has probably never handled them. Which might be why he was relying on someone else, presumably someone more knowledgeable like a production armorer, to make sure the gun was safe prior to taking hold of it. After all, actors are hired for their acting ability, not their knowledge of firearms. You might argue that someone with zero experience in shooting shouldn't be handling a functional replica or starring in a movie where his character is a gunslinger (at this point Mr. Baldwin might agree with you) but it's also a situation where likely the actor didn't know what he didn't know. He may not have had the knowledge to determine on his own if the gun was or wasn't safe. Again, that's why media productions are supposed to have a professional on hand to make that determination and keep everyone safe. Arguably, that didn't happen on this set.

So yes, while Mr. Baldwin does bear some responsibility here as both a producer and the person actually holding/manipulating the gun I think the lion's share of culpability goes to the person hired to keep the weapons as safe as possible for people who were NOT knowledgeable about firearms to handle.

[Sidewinder]

'Rust' production staff ordered custom T-shirts mocking camera-crew requests for accommodation, report says
Zac Ntim
Nov 1, 2021, 7:32 AM

A member of the production staff on the movie "Rust" had custom T-shirts made that mocked the camera crew's requests for accommodation close to the film's set, according to a new report in the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper's report — which cites several unnamed members of the crew — says that members of the camera crew were told during the second week of production on the film that they would no longer receive hotel rooms near the production base in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and would be required to travel from their own homes to the set.

Many of the crew members were based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, nearly 50 miles away, the newspaper reported. This raised discomfort among members of the camera crew who told production staff that it was unsafe for them to spend "an extra two hours driving to and from Albuquerque on Interstate 25, a rural four-lane highway with a 75-mph speed limit."

But the publication reports that the crew's request for hotel rooms was "treated as a joke" within the "Rust" production office.

"So much so that someone on the production staff had ordered custom black long-sleeve T-shirts, with 'Error 404: Housing Not Found' and 'ABQ is an hour away' printed on them," the LA Times added, adding that it had seen a photo of the shirts.

<Snip info already posted on this topic.>

What the fuck are they teaching in business schools? One would think a future business leader would be taught not to treat his/her future employees with such contempt, if only to avoid getting sued.

[bilateralrope]

What the fuck are they teaching in business schools? One would think a future business leader would be taught not to treat his/her future employees with such contempt, if only to avoid getting sued.

My guess is that the plan was to keep hiring people who were too inexperienced to know better and/or desperate. That Hollywood would keep their dangerous cost cutting quiet.

Here's an article about why a veteran prop master turned down work on Rust.

[Zwinmar]

stead of the entire cylinder flipping out so you can examine all the holes in it and easily and safely look down the barrel to make sure all is clear, the 1873 Colt SAA has a "loading port" at the rear of the cylinder that you open, allowing access to the bullet chambers one at a time. There is no way to see into the entire cylinder all at once without disassembling the gun. Nor is there any way to safely look down the barrel at all, again, absent disassembling the gun. In order to inspect the cylinder and make sure it is empty you have to index it, one chamber at a time, until you have gone all the way around. Don't lose count while you're doing it, you might miss something. Also, when the gun is uncocked the cylinder can't be turned, to index the gun you have to half cock the gun and leave it in that state while indexing. Don't screw up - even without a full draw on the hammer if you bump it wrong a half-cock impact can be sufficient to fire a live round.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPb7ogtHawY See how easy it is to check at the 00:44 second mark.

[Broomstick]

Sure, it's easy if you know what you're doing and have some practice at it.

Not so much if you know jackshit about firearms.

Hell, I make flying airplanes look easy but I don't expect non-pilots to have any skill whatsoever at doing what for me is now second nature. If you're comfortable with firearms sure, the 1873 Colt SAA is user-friendly. If you have no experience or skill then it's not going to be as easy to check as a gun where the entire cylinder flips out and you can see all the chambers at once. It's not about whether or not this is a teachable skill, it's about whether or anyone involved in this fiasco had those skills at that point in time.

[Tribble]

Wouldn’t the actors still do basic firearms training if they have to handle firearms?

Not that I’m an expert but I took a basic course a decade ago and Iirc they drilled it into your head to ALWAYS check your firearm yourself before handling it, no matter who gives it to you.

And if you’re not comfortable doing that, and/or haven’t done training you shouldn’t be handling the firearm in the first place.

[Jub]

Wouldn’t the actors still do basic firearms training if they have to handle firearms?

Not that I’m an expert but I took a basic course a decade ago and Iirc they drilled it into your head to ALWAYS check your firearm yourself before handling it, no matter who gives it to you.

And if you’re not comfortable doing that, and/or haven’t done training you shouldn’t be handling the firearm in the first place.

I agree. You can train literal children to check their weapon's chambers and to always be aware of where they're pointing their weapon. I should know too, I was a cadet marksman and we had to spend a few days on just weapon familiarization before we ever got our weapons and then hours more on being safe with them before we were allowed to load and shoot them.

Even for an actor, you should be able to get them to participate in a few days worth of basic firearms safety training in addition to the usual on-site safety briefings that go with opening a new set.

[Batman]

'Should' being the operative term here.I agree it's a damned good idea and should be done, but is it?