Hannah Gutierrez-Reed once gave gun to an 11-year-old actress without checking it
The 24-year-old armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, hired on Alec Baldwin’s film 'Rust', had allegedly given an 11-year-old actress a gun without checking it on a previous film set. Sources told Daily Beast that filming on the set of her last movie had to be briefly halted after she gave a gun to a child actress without checking it properly. A Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office search warrant affidavit identified Hannah as the armorer on set when Baldwin was given a prop which was apparently 'safe', before it killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
“She was a bit careless with the guns, waving it around every now and again,” a source, who worked alongside Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the upcoming Nicolas Cage film, 'The Old Way', told Daily Beast. A 'Rust' production source described Hannah as being “inexperienced and green”. An affidavit said that Hannah had placed three prop guns on a cart before assistant director Dave Halls reportedly handed over the gun to Baldwin, unaware that it was loaded and instead claiming that it was safe to be used. Seconds later, the prop gun killed Halyna Hutchins.
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In a troubling incident, Hannah had allegedly loaded a gun on the ground and then given it to child actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong without properly checking it. Crew members soon stepped in and demanded that shooting be stopped until the firearm is properly checked by Hannah. “She was reloading the gun on the ground, where there were pebbles and stuff. We didn’t see her check it, we didn’t know if something got in the barrel or not,” one source said.
Production sources from 'The Old Way' described their experience working with Hannah as concerning and troubling. “There were several concerns I brought to production’s attention,” one source said. “I have been around firearms my entire life and noticed some things that were not okay even with loaded blank firearms.” According to another source, under Hannah's watch there was not much attention given to gun safety.
The prop gun used by Alec Baldwin, that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a New Mexico movie set, had reportedly been used by crew members offsite for 'fun'. The gun, which misfired while Baldwin held it on the set of the movie "Rust", may have even been loaded with live rounds when it was supposed to be used for target practice. Various sources claimed that the gun was even fired at off-the-clock gatherings.
Reportedly, hours before the tragedy, the film crew had walked out of the set after firearms were accidentally discharged three times. This once even happened with Baldwin's stunt double, who had apparently been told that the firearm was not loaded. Firearms were accidentally discharged two other times in a closed cabin. Assistant director Dave Halls reportedly handed over the gun to Baldwin, unaware that it was loaded and instead claiming that it was safe to be used. Seconds later, the prop gun killed Halyna Hutchins.
Experts have claimed that Alec Baldwin ignored the golden rule of gun safety by pointing the prop at someone, and also said the gun should never have been loaded with live ammunition in the first place. "There should have never been live rounds on a movie set, that's number one. Number two is every single person on a movie set has a right to inspect a weapon before it's fired. And number three is, there is no reason to ever put a person in front of a weapon that's firing," Zak Knight, a pyrotechnic and special effects engineer who is a member of Local 44, told the Daily Mail.