Did Alec Baldwin hire rookie armorer to cut costs? Experts want him to bear blame
In the aftermath of the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, experts have said that actor Alec Baldwin is likely to be held responsible, at least in part. “If you’re capable of memorizing 120 pages of dialogue, you can memorize four lines of gun safety,” special-effects and firearms expert Steve Wolf said. “If that scene required him to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger, I’m sure he would have taken a look inside the gun. Wouldn’t you?”
Being a producer on the sets of 'Rust', Baldwin could be held culpable for the cost-cutting, chaos and eventual hire of an "inexperienced" young head armorer. Reportedly, various other armorers turned down the offer due to low pay and high stakes, with the responsibility of managing too many firearms. “They hired someone who was insufficiently experienced,” Wolf told New York Post. “If he’s the producer, the buck stops with him.”
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As a veteran actor, Baldwin is expected to know how to be extra cautious while using a gun on set, and Wolf said that it is only normal that he should know that the most element rules on set are "don’t point guns at people" and “don’t point guns at anything you don’t want to put a hole in". Echoing Wolf's thoughts, retired FBI Agent Bobby Chacon went through the four basic rules of guns on sets:
1. Treat EVERY weapon as if it’s loaded, even if you’re told it isn’t.
2. NEVER point a gun at anything you’re not willing to kill or destroy.
3. Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to kill or destroy something.
4. Know where your target is and what’s behind it (where possible).
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.
Reportedly, 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.
Hours before the tragedy, the film crew had walked out of the set after firearms were accidentally discharged three times. This once even happened by 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.