Alec Baldwin Fires Prop Gun on Set, Killing Cinematographer

[JBatmanFan05]

I still don't see how it really matters.

Did he load the gun?

Did he have reason to believe it wasn't safe?

If the answer is no, then I just can't see him being held legally accountable.

And from what I've read, this bolded question seems the most contentious because of prior gun mishaps on the set.

[thwhtGuardian]

And from what I've read, this bolded question seems the most contentious because of prior gun mishaps on the set.

He was told it was a safe gun that day, that's all that matters.

[JBatmanFan05]

He was told it was a safe gun that day, that's all that matters.

That's not all that matters according to the (flexible) letter of the law (New Mexico's involuntary manslaughter law).

For the first count of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors must prove "underlying negligence," while the second count, involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act, "requires proof that there was more than simple negligence involved in a death," the district attorney's office said.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment...ry?id=96583278

[thwhtGuardian]

That's not all that matters according to the (flexible) letter of the law (New Mexico's involuntary manslaughter law).


https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment...ry?id=96583278

Both of those seems like they'd be pretty hard to prove.

[Agent Z]

Alec Baldwin Fails In Bid To End ‘Rust’ Crew Members’ Suit Over Fatal Shooting On Set

[Amadeus Arkham]

Alec Baldwin Indicted on Manslaughter Charge in ‘Rust’ Shooting

[Gray Lensman]

Alec Baldwin Indicted on Manslaughter Charge in ‘Rust’ Shooting

The article I read did say that while the gun could not have gone off accidentally, it did have a 2 lb trigger weight. Which is INSANE. Glocks come set at 5 lbs, and anything under 4 is considered too light for use as an actual weapon, primarily being used by competitive shooters (as a lighter weight increases long range accuracy). A trigger weight that low makes me think Baldwin is telling the truth from his perspective - a gun like that should never have been on ANY movie set, as it would be a danger to everyone who comes into contact with it. Even people familiar with weapons could screw up with something like that.

[Nods]

Alec Baldwin Indicted on Manslaughter Charge in ‘Rust’ Shooting

right at the start of an election cycle smh

[achilles]

right at the start of an election cycle smh

I wasn't aware he was running for office.

[achilles]

The article I read did say that while the gun could not have gone off accidentally, it did have a 2 lb trigger weight. Which is INSANE. Glocks come set at 5 lbs, and anything under 4 is considered too light for use as an actual weapon, primarily being used by competitive shooters (as a lighter weight increases long range accuracy). A trigger weight that low makes me think Baldwin is telling the truth from his perspective - a gun like that should never have been on ANY movie set, as it would be a danger to everyone who comes into contact with it. Even people familiar with weapons could screw up with something like that.

No, no they wouldn't. What he did violated several of the laws of gun safety that are drilled into anyone in CA at least who buys a gun. Which would include people familiar with weapons. To the point, he should have assumed the gun was loaded regardless of what anyone else told him, and verified that it was or wasn't. He also should never have pointed it at anything or anyone he wasn't willing to destroy or kill. And he should have kept his finger outside the trigger guard and off the trigger until he was going to fire.

No one familiar with weapons and at all responsible would have violated any of those rules. It is emphasized rather heavily. I doubt any of the big time action stars would have done what he did.

[The Cool Thatguy]

No, no they wouldn't. What he did violated several of the laws of gun safety that are drilled into anyone in CA at least who buys a gun. Which would include people familiar with weapons. To the point, he should have assumed the gun was loaded regardless of what anyone else told him, and verified that it was or wasn't. He also should never have pointed it at anything or anyone he wasn't willing to destroy or kill. And he should have kept his finger outside the trigger guard and off the trigger until he was going to fire.

No one familiar with weapons and at all responsible would have violated any of those rules. It is emphasized rather heavily. I doubt any of the big time action stars would have done what he did.

I feel like you're speaking in an abstract that disregards that in movie production, those rules parroted by the NRA are required to disregard.

And that you're also ignoring that the trigger pressure was downgraded, something an experienced actor might not pick up on.

[Nods]

I wasn't aware he was running for office.

DA’s and judges run for office. To me this is political theater this case has and will be dragged out for years. But no reasonable jury is going to convict an actor when the armorer was clearly playing around with the guns and messed up by not switching to blanks. This is a bad faith case that will never see a proper trial,

[Kirby101]

No, no they wouldn't. What he did violated several of the laws of gun safety that are drilled into anyone in CA at least who buys a gun. Which would include people familiar with weapons. To the point, he should have assumed the gun was loaded regardless of what anyone else told him, and verified that it was or wasn't. He also should never have pointed it at anything or anyone he wasn't willing to destroy or kill. And he should have kept his finger outside the trigger guard and off the trigger until he was going to fire.

No one familiar with weapons and at all responsible would have violated any of those rules. It is emphasized rather heavily. I doubt any of the big time action stars would have done what he did.

Have you ever seen a movie with guns? The rules of general gun safety do not apply. In movies people point and fire guns at each other and the cameras. This has been done since "The Great Train Robbery in 1902.

The idea that Baldwin was doing something not done on every action movie set is a non argument.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

At some point I really wish once this is over Baldwin files a counter suit money case against those doing this for political gain.

[Gray Lensman]

No, no they wouldn't. What he did violated several of the laws of gun safety that are drilled into anyone in CA at least who buys a gun. Which would include people familiar with weapons. To the point, he should have assumed the gun was loaded regardless of what anyone else told him, and verified that it was or wasn't. He also should never have pointed it at anything or anyone he wasn't willing to destroy or kill. And he should have kept his finger outside the trigger guard and off the trigger until he was going to fire.

No one familiar with weapons and at all responsible would have violated any of those rules. It is emphasized rather heavily. I doubt any of the big time action stars would have done what he did.

Pointing the gun at the camera is a pretty standard movie shot. The rules of film and the rules of standard gun handling go against each other here. All it should take is a single viewing of any gun centric action film to see how often basic firearms safety rules get broken in a standard film. Not breaking those rules in close up scenes gets us Lucas's sad attempt to make it look like Greedo shot first, which even now is such a pathetic editing job it breaks suspension of disbelief.

I did look up some stuff on trigger pull, and everywhere I looked emphasized that a 2 lb trigger pull is dangerous on a carry gun (only typically used in competition shooting for handguns) and prone to accidental discharges even when handled by experts.

I'm not sure how liable Baldwin is in this case - live ammo wasn't supposed to be on set, the handgun had been given a dangerous modification, and he had been told the weapon was safe - some shoots only want the armorer handling things except when the cameras are rolling.