Crew member killed when shot by prop gun on set of Baldwin movie

[BE Mike]

The issue is that a prop gun and prop ammunition is not handed to an actor with the instruction that it is a deadly weapon and a dangerous tool. It is handed to them as a stage prop that is safe to point at and shoot other people with.

I just don't see any negligence on the part of a person who is operating a safe movie prop in a manner understood to be safe. Going back to the exploding sandwich example, it's like blaming the Doordash guy for delivering you a sandwich that he had no reason to believe was any different than the dozen other sandwiches he delivered in the last hour. The fault is with the person who put the bomb in the sandwich.

If someone broke into my house and rewired my light switch so that turning it on electrocutes the downstairs neighbor in his shower, am I the negligent one for flipping the switch instead of smashing open the drywall to see what it was wired to first? Of course not.

As a producer on the movie, though, Baldwin could very well catch liability for this from the position of it being "his" production, even if he is cleared of his personal liability under the accident defense. An investigation will, presumably, discover the exact chain of how this happened and open the door to various actions under the umbrella of "unsafe conditions and practices". So he could pay up for the bullet getting into the gun, even if he doesn't for pulling the trigger.

This is a very weak argument for every AD that has ever happened. Anyone with any firearm safety training, and apparently most "prop" guns are fully functional firearms, should always check to see if it is loaded or not when receiving it from another person. It should never be pointed at another person, except when necessary for a scene. The huge egos (with childlike lack of self-control) in Hollywood probably ignore these kinds of safety rules, letting some peon bear the load of responsibility instead. I accept responsibility for every one of the tens of thousands of rounds that I have fired over the years. I wonder if pro-gun actors, or at least those who take the handling of guns seriously in Hollywood, have had these kinds tragedies on set?

 

[Sylvain]

A search warrant said Gutierrez-Reed laid out three prop guns on a cart outside the filming location.

Unaware that it was loaded with live rounds, the first assistant director Dave Halls then allegedly grabbed the gun.

Before handing it to Baldwin he shouted “cold gun” which was the phrase to signal the weapon was safe to fire, the warrant said.

Seconds later, filming a scene inside an Old West-style church, Baldwin apparently aimed towards the camera and pulled the trigger, accidentally shooting dead Hutchins as she filmed him.

Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, was wounded in the shoulder.

The gun that fired the fatal shot was a vintage-style Colt revolver, DailyMail.com reports.

Apparently the on-set armorer was pretty new at her job.

A call sheet from the set identified the armorer's name as Hannah Gutierrez Reed, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Gutierrez-Reed, 24, said in a podcast interview last month podcast she said she had recently completed her first film as head armorer on The Old Way, starring Nicolas Cage.

She admitted: "I almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but doing it, it went really smoothly."

Rust movie armorer who 'laid out loaded gun' worried she 'wasn't ready'

A MOVIE armorer who allegedly laid out the loaded gun Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the cinematographer with had just completed her first film and worried “she wasn’t ready”. H…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[actaeon277]

I would love to see other actors chime in on this and how it is routinely handled. Because it seems like the set they laid out was horribly dangerous one.

Sounds like Baldwin himself had a ND last week that caused alarm among crew. And his student double had TWO with a "cold" gun. This time he was doing a holster draw in prep for a scene. Had pulled once without issue and then the second time Kapow.

Poor trigger discipline. It doesn't even sound like it was during an actual scene.

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

And you'd think after all those previous problems, they'd be a bit better about checking things.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Apparently the on-set armorer was pretty new at her job.

Rust movie armorer who 'laid out loaded gun' worried she 'wasn't ready'

A MOVIE armorer who allegedly laid out the loaded gun Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the cinematographer with had just completed her first film and worried “she wasn’t ready”. H…

www.thesun.co.uk

She is Thell Reed's daughter.

Thell Reed in the middle:

 

[KellyinAvon]

Blurb from an updated story

An assistant director on the New Mexico movie set of the movie "Rust" claimed that a gun being handed to actor Alec Baldwin on Thursday was unloaded, a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court said, according to reports.

"Cold gun," assistant director Dave Halls announced at the time, using lingo for an unloaded firearm, before a rehearsal for the movie, The Associated Press reported.

Soon afterward, court filings say, Baldwin pulled the trigger of the firearm, fatally wounding cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

The gun used by Baldwin was one of three firearms that had been placed on a cart by Hannah Gutierrez, who was identified as the armorer for the film, The Associated Press reported.

Alec Baldwin was told firearm was unloaded, search warrant says: report

An assistant director on the New Mexico movie set of the movie "Rust" was unaware that a gun being handed to actor Alec Baldwin on Thursday contained live rounds, a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court said, according to reports.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Kirk Freeman]

While I don't know her, I have to believe that one of Thell Reed's kids knows her way around guns and movies.

One would think.

 

[walleyepw]

Feel bad for those that were shot.

 

[walleyepw]

If you are anti gun, why make your living using a gun? Hypocrite!

 

[BE Mike]

She is Thell Reed's daughter.

Thell Reed in the middle:

View attachment 164725

Yes, and all of the men in this photo are breaking at least 3 of the 4 rules of firearm's safety.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yes, and all of the men in this photo are breaking at least 3 of the 4 rules of firearm's safety.

This is Leatherslap at Big Bear. The Four Rules where invented 2 decades later at API.

To quote Clint Smith, "I know because I had to paint the signs!"

 

[KellyinAvon]

A lot to cover here. There are more unknowns than knowns, that's for sure.

Taking a run at the knowns:

The Venn Diagram of INGO members and Alec Baldwin fan club members is two circles. Nothing wrong with that, just pointing it out. Our middle name is "Gun" and last name is "Owners" after all.

A very young and talented Cinematographer is dead, another crew member seriously wounded.

Multiple sources cite crew treatment and safety concerns. The lack of sleep noted by several caught my attention.

There is a huge difference between a "prop gun" and a "gun used as a prop".

Unknowns:

How did the live round get on the set?

Who loaded the live round into the firearm?

Why was a live round loaded into a firearm on a movie set?

What specific safety protocols were violated (for motion picture producation, not the 4 rules which were obviously violated)?

What were the specific sequence of events prior to the live round being fired?

Words such as "accident", "negligence", "culpability", "criminal behavior", "civil liability" will be applied, but to whom?

 

[Amishman44]

It was the magical Kennedy bullet. I read it went through the first person and struck the second.

And, with the number of times Kennedy was actually struck by 'the' bullet...the number of laps it had to take around a moving vehicle is astounding!

 

[Amishman44]

A lot to cover here. There are more unknowns than knowns, that's for sure.

Taking a run at the knowns:
The Venn Diagram of INGO members and Alec Baldwin fan club members is two circles. Nothing wrong with that, just pointing it out. Our middle name is "Gun" and last name is "Owners" after all.
A very young and talented Cinematographer is dead, another crew member seriously wounded.
Multiple sources cite crew treatment and safety concerns. The lack of sleep noted by several caught my attention.
There is a huge difference between a "prop gun" and a "gun used as a prop".

Unknowns:
How did the live round get on the set?
Who loaded the live round into the firearm?
Why was a live round loaded into a firearm on a movie set?
What specific safety protocols were violated (for motion picture production, not the 4 rules which were obviously violated)?
What were the specific sequence of events prior to the live round being fired?
Words such as "accident", "negligence", "culpability", "criminal behavior", "civil liability" will be applied, but to whom?

All very good points...and excellent questions!
It's simply amazing that there is so much carelessness and sloppiness around firearms!
Maybe it's the 'anti-gun' people who should not be handling firearms...for their own safety and that of others...instead of them being the one's who trying to take firearms away from law-abiding citizens?

 

[Amishman44]

I personally detest Baldwin and have no sympathy for him ar all. However, how can an actor “check the chamber” of a REVOLVER that is supposedly loaded with “dummy” ammunition? Good dummy rounds have projectiles on them, and even have “dead” primers that appear to have never had a hammer strike on them - all for close up camera shots. I’m sure that the actors are instructed to never pull the trigger on dummy rounds, but Baldwin is the director, so he could have told himself anything.

Mebbe...they should have to understand how each firearm they're handling works and know how to handle it both properly and safely! And, when practicing with it, do so in both a safe manner as well as place...like not on set while facing others!

 

[Ingomike]

All very good points...and excellent questions!
It's simply amazing that there is so much carelessness and sloppiness around firearms!
Maybe it's the 'anti-gun' people who should not be handling firearms...for their own safety and that of others...instead of them being the one's who trying to take firearms away from law-abiding citizens?

I have come to understand that a big reason many are anti-gun is they do not trust themselves, therefore they do not believe anyone can be trusted.

If you think he was obnoxious before, Baldwin will be off the charts anti-gun after this to show the other leftists he is good…

 

[BigRed]

Alyssa Milano, Alec Baldwin, Amy Schumer Help Launch Anti-NRA Campaign

The new initiative aims to advocate for gun control and to chip away at the National Rifle Association's political influence.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

He has shot or killed more people than over 99% of gun owners.

The pic looks like a modern day version of the Three Stooges. Unlike that ***** on the right, the Stooges could manage to be at least mildly humorous.

 

[Amishman44]

I have come to understand that a big reason many are anti-gun is they do not trust themselves, therefore they do not believe anyone can be trusted.

I think you make an excellent point regarding 'anti-gunners' because they're always raving about how bad guns are when so many of them have never even handled a firearm a day in their life!

 

[sheepdog697]

The meme warriors are having a field day with this one.

 

[KellyinAvon]

The pic looks like a modern day version of the Three Stooges. Unlike that ***** on the right, the Stooges could manage to be at least mildly humorous.

From April 2018

 

[thunderchicken]

Mebbe...they should have to understand how each firearm they're handling works and know how to handle it both properly and safely! And, when practicing with it, do so in both a safe manner as well as place...like not on set while facing others!

Agreed
Maybe when a gun is going to be used on a set it should physically be shown to be clear or only loaded in front of people, right before being handed to the actor.

Not being familiar with how movies are produced, I'm kind of disturbed that it sounds like there was a loaded gun sitting on a cart unattended. Clearly the gun taken off the cart was never checked before handing it to Baldwin. Not to be funny but it sounds like a comedy of errors and carelessness that lead to tragedy. I mean what smart gun owner would ever think it's a good idea to load a gun, place it on a cart with two other guns, leave it unattended with numerous people walking around?

IANAL but, seems the armorer, AD and Baldwin all failed to exercise good judgement and very clearly failed to follow common sense gun safety protocols resulting in two being shot with one killed. Who's at fault criminally I don't know, we'll see.

Hey, maybe actors and the movie industry need to pass background checks and be forced to undergo some Common Sense Gun Safety Training before being allowed to handle a potentially deadly weapon.