Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza last Thursday with a “prop firearm” loaded with a “live round” while rehearsing a scene for the movie “Rust.”
The investigation is still ongoing as to how exactly the deadly accident went down. Currently, we have way more questions than answers. A few that come immediately to mind:
- How does something like this even happen on a professional movie set?
- How did Baldwin manage to shoot two people with one blank round or did he fire the gun multiple times?
- To what extent should Baldwin be held responsible, both as a producer of the film and as the individual who pulled the trigger?
- Are the reports true that indicate there were previous safety violations on set, including two accidental discharges of prop guns that were supposed to be “cold” (completely empty) on Oct. 16?
- What about the claims that certain crew members walked off set during filming because they felt unsafe due to COVID-19 protocols not being followed and those aforementioned accidental discharges?
While we wait for the dust to settle, social media is abuzz with reactions. In fact, in Hollywood, several filmmakers have said it’s time to abandon firearms with blanks altogether.
“Mare of Easttown” director Craig Zobel put the following on Twitter:
There’s no reason to have guns loaded with blanks or anything on set anymore. Should just be fully outlawed. There’s computers now. The gunshots on Mare of Easttown are all digital. You can probably tell, but who cares? It’s an unnecessary risk. https://t.co/pVWJp766EY
— craig zobel (@craigzobel) October 22, 2021
Eric Kripke, the showrunner of “The Boys” vowed that he would never use blanks on “any of my sets ever.” Instead, he’ll switch to “VFX muzzle flashes.”
Someone hurt or killed on my set is my worst nightmare. Sending love to Halyna Hutchins’ family, @JensenAckles, cast & crew of “Rust.” I’m so sorry. In her memory, a simple, easy pledge: no more guns with blanks on any of my sets ever. We’ll use VFX muzzle flashes. Who’s with me?
— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) October 22, 2021
Production designer Ben Rockula also suggested moving exclusively to airsoft when filming.
I’m devastated by the death of a DP by a prop gun. A few thoughts (thread):
— Ben Rockula (@Neptunesalad) October 22, 2021
Armorers are amazing professionals to work with, but maybe it’s time that we stop shooting blanks entirely & make it the policy to only use Airsoft guns (or similar) & muzzle flash in post.
At some point though, one has to wonder when it’s time to start blaming the person(s) handling the tool, and not the tool itself. This has been the sentiment from many within the gun community.
Emily Miller, author of the book, “Emily Gets Her Gun: But Obama Wants to Take Yours,” was quick to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Alec Baldwin.
News Editor Jack Posobiec had this to say about what he’s hearing from gun owners:
Every gun owner I know is saying Alec Baldwin is responsible bc you are responsible for every firearm that is in your hand
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 23, 2021
2A supporters have respect for firearms and with that comes responsibility
While the conversation is bound to continue as more news unfolds, there are certain inconvenient truths for Baldwin specifically, as he has been one to profit off of glamorizing violence in films while, at the same time, demonizing law-abiding gun owners and organizations that teach gun safety.
For example, Baldwin was part of an Everytown for Gun Safety stunt in 2018 called, “NoRA” or “No Rifle Association.” In a letter addressed to the National Rifle Association, Baldwin along with several other Hollywood elites threatened the livelihood of the organization.
“Your time signing checks in our blood is up,” they wrote. “We'[r]e a diverse, non-partisan coalition of activists, artists, celebrities, writers, gun violence survivors, and policy experts. We’re going to shine a bright light on what you and your organization do to America…We’re coming for your money. We’re coming for your puppets. And we’re going to win.”
It goes without saying but Baldwin should be the last person joining a crusade to eradicate what is arguably the largest gun safety organization in the world. Recent events should remind everyone that we need more people that know how to safely and responsibly use firearms, not fewer. And that is, in part, the mission of the NRA and its five million members.
One other bit of tragic irony is this tweet posted by Baldwin in 2017. Many on social media are now throwing this back in Baldwin’s face:
I wonder how it must feel to wrongfully kill someone…https://t.co/WE6QsAAXGI
— AlecBaldwin (@AlecBaldwln____) September 23, 2017
Do you think Saturday Night Live will jump on this with a parody? If it was one of Trumps sons, it would air this weekend.
I’ll go one further. I say Hollywood should stop being nothing but a bunch of bullshit hypocrites and stop making so damn many violent gun based movies. I compare Hollywood to the propaganda that came out of Nazi Germany. All their piece of shit actors that go around spouting liberalism, anti-Constitutional, anti-American ideas have no problem whatsoever of making millions and promoting violence. What the hell do they think is going to be the result of all this violence they are promoting in society. Trouble is, I know the answer. They don’t think and they don’t care. They just run on greed and the rules ‘they think’, only apply to the masses and not the elites.
I wonder what kind of hate propoganda was being portrayed on the set with that Church.
The “entertainment” industry now will only insult Christians and Whites and the in the resulting themes will become even more transparent and bland.
Enjoy it as thinly veiled hate propoganda posing a “entertainment” kills the cash cow. Of course, hate propoganda, historical distortions and out right lies will still be churned out but the profit margins will dwindle as aimless blade of leftism kills eventually kills everything.
Is simple; you have drivers license, how about actors union permit to handle guns-on-set. Suspendable, and revocable, of course, just like drivers at the track, and is useless piece of paper off-venue
“Alec Baldwin “mistakenly” handled a loaded gun”.
WRONG. Alec Baldwin NEGLIGENTLY handled a loaded gun.
I have fired shotguns and a .45 on a movie set. It is beyond comprehension that any actor would point the muzzle in the direction of crew or an actor and pull the trigger.
Remember this a-hole has been on movie sets his entire adult life often where firearms are present. There is no excuse for his carelessness..
He should be charged with negligent homicide.
They shouldnt even be allowed fake airsoft guns, they should censor themselves from ever making another film with any representation of a gun in it and lets see how far they can make it. The crap they regurgitate is absolutely the most stupid stuff Ive ever seen, and Im talking about films from 10 years ago because thats about when I woke up, and please dont tell me any of it has gotten better because zi do see the trailers, which are supposed to be highlights. Even Clint Eastwood has turned to mush, his movies suck too.
Will that baldwin guy be charged with a crime? No of course not
The ignorance from the left wing hollywood is incredible. If anyone has watched the training that Keanu Reeve’s goes through with guns; it’s a great watch that others should follow.
For someone who is soooo knowledgeable about guns, why is he depending upon someone else to tell him a weapon is safe? What an absolute idiot!!!!!! A gun is an innate object, & is no more evil than who’s hands it’s in! Hollywood, rather than lecturing the country about guns, which goes to show you, how ignorant they are on the subject! Should take a gun safety course!!!!! Maybe Clint could give the course?
The entire media machine, including Hollywood, is protecting this arrogant fool. Try posting a comment on any media site regarding this tragedy. In most places, comments have been “temporarily removed” for any article regarding Baldwin’s killing of Miss Hutchins.
If this had been anyone else, we would be force-fed hours and days of the media calling for gun control!
In this case, they are shifting the blame from Baldwin to the female armorer who didn’t even hand Baldwin the gun. Also not being blamed is the assistant director who DID give the gun to the actor and told him the gun was “cold”, meaning it had NO rounds at all, either live or blanks. This AD has a history of ignoring safety protocols, not just regarding guns, but general set safety.
But above all, everyone totally ignores the most basic tenet the every gun owner is well aware of…Baldwin is ultimately and totally responsible for the death of this woman and injury to Mr. Sousa because HE should not have taken the word of someone else that the gun was empty when he took possession of it. In California, to purchase a gun, you now have to perform a “safe handling check”. Part of that check is to visually and physically inspect the weapon’s magazine, chamber and barrel to make sure it is not loaded. Baldwin obviously didn’t do any of that because he’s too busy running his mouth and throwing his status around trying to take guns from law abiding citizens to be bothered to learn how a responsible and trained person handles a firearm. Ironic that he has made a living playing with guns in movies, but he doesn’t have the faintest idea about handling them safely.
What’s really sad is that Hutchins’ family doesn’t lay any blame at this hypocrite’s feet either.
Maybe it’s time to stop allowing anti-gun actors handle any type of guns. Period. Let those who know how to properly handle firearms handle the guns and keep them the hell away from those that are anti-gun in the first place. Alec Baldwin would know that you never point a gun loaded or not at a target you don’t intend to shoot. The ultimate responsibility rests with the man who pulled the trigger.
The old saying, “You can fix ignorant, but you can’t fix stupid.” applies, here. Baldwin, being a liberal, ant-gun, anti-NRA idiot, not only took someone else’s (incorrect) information, that the gun was “cold”, and didn’t have the common sense to check it, himself (a golden rule), he pointed it AT someone else (never point a firearm at anything you do not wish to destroy), pulled the hammer BACK all the way (these are single action 1873 Colt Army .45 replicas), cocking it, placed his finger, on the trigger (never place your finger, on the trigger, until you are sure of your target, and ready to destroy it), and then PULLED THE TRIGGER, with disastrous consequences. Obviously, it’s the gun’s fault.
Again, blame a tool the gun. Band arrogant careless people instead, the members of Hollywood actors who have no business even touching a weapon.
All this talk about Baldwin shooting someone on set, but no one has suggested a likely possibility: a disgruntled union member taking a vindictive shot.
Union members were very unhappy with the unsafe conditions on the set and walked off. But with all the hoaxes perpetrated by Leftists — and union members are mostly Leftists — shouldn’t the investigators consider a union member might have loaded the gun with live ammo in an attempt to prove how unsafe the set of Rust was?
I’ll wait to see if anyone goes there.
Notice that the default is to legislate away such a practice. There is no consideration that filmmakers should come to some consensus about the disuse of prop guns. The knee jerk is an appeal to (false) authority immediately. No one is capable of any independent thought or action act unless prescribed by gov’t. The language of submission, and control; of masters slaves, and quislings.
I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible for pulling the trigger and killing someone. You know why? Because like most actors, he knows less about firearms than a hog knows about Sunday. Under the current system, the gun handler (gun wrangler) is responsible for the condition of a gun when it is handed to an actor. The actor is expected to do NOTHING with the gun except the actions required for the scene being shot or rehearsed. There are some actors,, like Keanu Reaves, who are fully competent to handle the gun, but most depend on the handler.
I do hold Alec Baldwin personally responsible, as the producer, for hiring an incompetent gun handler. When you’re in charge, EVERYTHING is your responsibility. Any gun handler who declares a gun “cold”, who hasn’t personally double checked the weapon immediately before handing it to the actor, is incompetent and should NEVER be hired in that status. And, if it WAS a live round, WTF was a live round doing on the set? Another failure of the gun handler
I believe that, for a movie involving using firearms, the actors who will handle them should have a mandatory trip to the range, where they will receive safety instruction and, preferably, some live fire familiarization with the firearms to be used. This is for every movie they are in, not just the first time.
It was not the armorer (or gun wrangler, as you call them) who handed Baldwin the gun and declared it cold. It was an assistant director, who has a history of ignoring or disregarding set safety protocols…one of the reasons many crew members were unhappy, and some had walked off the set the day before.
But the bottom line is, Baldwin himself IS responsible for not checking to make sure that the gun was unloaded, instead of taking ANYONE’S word, including an armorer’s, but especially a safety -ignorant AD.
Studios should not be allowed to have any firearms the subjects of the Peoples Republic of CA can’t have and no manufacturer or dealer should sell any firearm to any studio that makes anti-gun statements.
Now let’s see. Point gun at someone. Pull trigger. Loud blast & gun kicks. Person falls down with mortal wound. Let’s all blame that evil gun! There, that makes it all better. At least in the eyes of the anti gun Leftist fools like Alex Baldwin.
Hey, I’ve an idea. We should never have a know nothing about guns Leftist anti gun fool handle a weapon in the first place. Only use pro Constitution, pro Second Amendment, gun knowledgeable actors & actresses in the handling of guns on sets.
Problem solved.
So, an anti-gun liberal zealot kills someone with a firearm, and now they want to ban firearms on movie sets. Typical liberal hypocrisy. Baldwin should be held liable for the murder and attempted murder.
Condolences to the families of the victims.
How ironic that some liberal, anti-gunner that makes huge amounts of money portraying gun violence, and decries an organization that promotes gun safety, kills one and injures another while “playing” with a gun he has no knowledge of. Maybe Mr. Baldwin should have joined the NRA and taken advantage of their knowledge prior to his unsafe, and fatal handling of a firearm. I have owned guns for over fifty years. I have hunted, target shot, and had fun shooting many guns and I have never injured, or killed anyone. And by the way, I am an NRA Benefactor member.
Something is very fishy here. There is no reason to have live ammo on a set. Armorers are very careful about this. Why would Baldwin be shooting at a cinematographer anyway???
Lot’s of solutions to this type problem rather than OTHER LAW. How about the film makers deciding to do something they feel is safer (like an Air Soft) all on their own. They are adults (sorta)! How about learning good firearms practices and teaching them to the actors (like has been suggested in the other posts here). How about only hiring actors or actresses to parts involving firearms if they complete a safety course or prove proficiency. How about keeping guns away from actors with known anger management problems like Alec Baldwin. Any or all of these steps would reduce the likelihood of an accident without impinging on the rights of responsible gun owners.
Condolences for victim’s family obviously, but if I had to speculate, I’d bet the big headed, big mouthed celebrity was “playin”!! Gotta be smarter than the gun.
Too bad Baldwin didn’t take an NRA approved gun safety course at his local gun club!
if his liberal ass had been properly trained to check any and all weapons handed to him he would have seen himself if it was loaded with live rounds or blanks. you never trust anyone that reaches you a weapon on if its loaded or not. Baldwin and the propmaster should share responsibility for the death.
I was always taught that you checked the weapon yourself, regardless. Safe gun handling is the responsibility of all people handing one. This could have been avoided.