'The Rookie' bans real guns on set after Halyna Hutchins shot by Alec Baldwin on set
After the tragic accident involving a prop gun that killed promising cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a producer has come forward and declared that he won’t allow real guns to be used as props on his set anymore.
The fatal incident on the sets of upcoming movie 'Rust' involved actor Alec Baldwin and injured director Joel Souza apart from killing Hutchins.
As an increasing number of big names in the movie industry have already made a move in banning the “archaic practice" of using real guns as props, Alexi Hawley, executive producer of ABC TV’s 'The Rookie,' wrote in a memo to the police drama’s crew Friday, October 22, "Any risk is too much risk." He announced that there “will be no more ‘live’ weapons on the show.” He was joined by the director of 'Mare of Easttown,' the drama starring Kate Winslet. “There’s no reason to have guns loaded with blanks or anything on set anymore," Craig Zobel said. “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.”
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Bill Dill, a top cinematographer who mentored Hutchins and whose work includes 'The Five Heartbeats' and 'Dancing in September', chided the “archaic practice of using real guns with blanks in them” instead of “inexpensive computer graphics." He said, "There’s no excuse for using live weapons.' In Hollywood films, real guns loaded with blanks are used.
'Halyna’s Law': Petition to ban real guns on set
When it comes to the New Mexico movie set of 'Rust', a search warrant affidavit says that on October 21, the armorer had laid out three prop guns on a rolling cart at the set in Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe, and the assistant director handed one of them to Baldwin, yelling out that it was a “cold gun”, indicating that it contained no live ammunition. However, the gun was loaded with live rounds, and when Baldwin pulled the trigger, Hutchins was struck and killed. It went through her chest and struck director Souza, who was standing behind the cinematographer, wounding him.
The tragedy has spawned a petition on change.org, calling for a ban on on-set real weapons and which has received over 24,000 signatures so far. “We need to make sure that this avoidable tragedy never happens again,” the petition reads. “There is no excuse for something like this to happen in the 21st Century. Real guns are no longer needed on film production sets. This isn't the early 90's, when Brandon Lee was killed in the same manner. Change needs to happen before additional talented lives are lost." The petition also calls on Baldwin “to use his power and influence” to push the ban and urge the industry to lobby for a proposed “Halyna’s Law,” which would make the use of real guns illegal on move sets.
Hailey Baldwin, Alec's neice, said her 63-year-old uncle was “heartbroken” over the fatal mishap.