Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' movie assistant director admits to gun-safety mistakes, search warrant reveals

I work 18-20 hour days 7 days a week for a few months in the spring. That’s the time of year I have to shoot the most things. There have been times when I know I’m too tired to safely handle a firearm. Because I have a functioning brain I don’t pick up the AR when I walk out to check cows or feed until I’ve had some sleep. The safety risk outweighs the risk to my pocketbook. That’s part of responsible gun handling.

The military doesn’t use sleep deprivation as some maniacal torture. It’s a tool to weed out people who are a risk when tired and under stress.

The movie industry is attempting to play with firearms and use them in ways no other professional who uses firearms would ever think of using them. The movie industry is intentionally breaking half the rules of safe gun handling by pointing weapons at people and not being aware of what else is behind that target. Then they farm out the rest of the rules (knowing condition of your weapon) to the lowest bidder while knowingly working while sleep deprived (if they really were). This is not just unprofessional in the eyes of other professionals who use firearms in their work—it’s unbelievably stupid. No other professional would handle firearms this way, nor would they make lame ass excuses like “I’m tired” or “she/he told me it was safe”.

These people are acting like children—not professional adults. And they killed someone.

 

Yeah, I am an attorney in Texas. Giving my opinion. It is criminally negligent to not check a firearm you have been given that you know CAN fire live rounds IE one that someone yells "cold gun" and hands you, when you KNOW you're going to be pointing that gun at someone and pulling the trigger.
YOU have a duty to check the gun in your hand before taking such an action.
If someone told you the car was in park, take your foot off the break, would you check first before you did it? Of course you would. Why? Cars are dangerous.

 

I take it you don’t know how to read.

 

Sec. 19.04. MANSLAUGHTER. (a) A person commits an offense if he recklessly causes the death of an individual.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the second degree.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Renumbered from Penal Code Sec. 19.04 by Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 1123, ch. 426, art. 2, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 307, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Renumbered from Penal Code Sec. 19.05 and amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.



Sec. 19.05. CRIMINALLY NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE. (a) A person commits an offense if he causes the death of an individual by criminal negligence.

(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Renumbered from Penal Code Sec. 19.06 by Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 1123, ch. 426, art. 2, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Renumbered from Penal Code Sec. 19.07 and amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.

The first if they can prove that he knew live rounds were being inserted into the guns used for filming so the cast and crew could target shoot in off hours. If you KNOW live rounds have been in the gun on set it is pure recklessness to not check before pulling the trigger on someone.

The second if they cannot prove that he knew live rounds were being used on location. He still was handed a gun he was informed was a live weapon that could fire live rounds but shouldn't be loaded with them and didn't check. He had a basic duty to check a real weapon in hand before pointing and pulling the trigger. Period.


^ That's texas.

Here, we're filming in New Mexico and you can see its a little different but still basically along the same principles:


2011 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 30: Criminal Offenses
Article 2: Homicide, 30-2-1 through 30-2-9
Section 30-2-3: Manslaughter.

Universal Citation: NM Stat § 30-2-3 (1996 through 1st Sess 50th Legis)
30-2-3. Manslaughter.

Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice.

A. Voluntary manslaughter consists of manslaughter committed upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion.

Whoever commits voluntary manslaughter is guilty of a third degree felony resulting in the death of a human being.

B. Involuntary manslaughter consists of manslaughter committed in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to felony, or in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death in an unlawful manner or without due caution and circumspection.

Whoever commits involuntary manslaughter is guilty of a fourth degree felony.

 

Thanks for that.
I value your input. Ultimately it would come down to the evidence that is presented. What he knew, what he was told.

Regardless, it is an avoidable tragedy. Lessons should be learned. If the film industry can’t keep itself safe, perhaps they need to be regulated.

 

He was told cold gun. His last armorer quit because of safety. 2 live rounds had been discharged on set and crew had walked out.

In that environment he was told a gun was cold and didnt check for himself.

 

As you well know, what the media reports is only part of the story. A trial would likely take weeks. That’s a lot more evidence than we have.

I think a lot of people are biased against him personally because he mocked dirty donny bonespurs on SNL. Repeatedly and mercilessly. And effectively.

I hear everything you say and I don’t discount the possibility he is ultimately charged, tried and convicted. But I do not see it as a certainty.

 

You think people dislike Baldwin just because he dresses up as Trump and mocks him on a failed show that nobody has cared about for 20+ years? Alec Baldwin is a nasty person outside the world of politics. There is plenty of evidence of that online and has been for years.

 

Being a nasty person or not doesn’t make him more or less liable for a crime.
It affects whether people want him to be found guilty.

 

Alec Baldwin is suffering from something known a Karma. No one can explain it - you can't see it, touch it, or measure it - but you know it when it hits you.

When a person spends their life being a miserable jerk and an incessant scumbag to the people they hate, no one should be surprised when they get a big healthy dose of their own medicine when Karma comes and puts a boot up their ass.

I only wish the dead mother decided to quit with the rest of the folks that did.

 

There is no such thing as an unloaded gun.

I don't care if you know all about guns and you have checked the weapon and made sure it is empty there is never any harm in treating it as though it is loaded at all times.

 

Where did I say it did? All I was doing was telling you that this “bias” you speak of, isn’t just because of Baldwins politics. The guy is a genuine piece of garbage.

 

Didn't I read last year or something that he assaulted a guy over a parking space and that he's been a Royal prick to his young daughter?

 

Telling that to a liberal is as effective as talking to a brick wall. They know NOTHING of guns. Absolutely nothing. Alec Baldwin had zero business touching a w

Correct. The guy is a complete ****** to the public. He has his “big man” syndrome since he’s a rich Hollywood elite. Alec Baldwin is the epitome of what’s wrong with Hollywood.

 

He’s still orders of magnitude better than POTUS 45 and yet millions of people adore that human scumbag.

 

AANNDD he made Trump look a whole new type of silly. Trumpers are SOO like their idol. Completely and UTTERLY humorless when it comes to the big boy. If they ,or Trump, would just once laugh along with everyone else there'd be no more jokes made, but no, Trump and the Trumpers are the best targets EVAR for this kind of satire.

 

I started excoriating Baldwin in this thread before I knew he did Trump on SNL. Haven’t watched SNL since the 90’s. Not a Trump fan either. Never voted for him. Went and watched some Baldwin on SNL on YouTube. It made me laugh. It also made me understand why the Trump kid is mercilessly mocking Baldwin now. Turnabout is fair play.

I’ve been one of Baldwin’s biggest critics in this thread. But it has nothing to do with politics or personality. It’s based solely on his ACTIONS in relation to firearms and their use.

 

Trump,Trump ,Trump....Always Trump on the brain.

he lives in lefty heads more than a anywhere else on earth.

 

I think he is a brilliant actor, and with comedy which is the hardest but he is an ass as a person so his own words come back to bite him.

All of that doesn’t matter when talking about basic gun safety. Other actors have spoken out about what happens on sets and what Baldwin did was ignore basic safety.

Now I would not wish what happened to Baldwin on my worst enemy and I am sure he is sick about it but he had the ultimate responsibility to insure his weapon was safe.

Many make much of calling the weapon a prop but that is derived from anything on the set that comes from the property manager. A prop gun can be a real gun or a gun made of resin for background.

 

You must be a prosecutor because you've already found Baldwin guilty without a trial.

 

If an actor is charged with mishandling a prop gun while on a movie set it will set a precedent and I believe most judges research cases to find a precedent in which to base their decision on.

 

First an actor is never supposed to pull a trigger during rehearsal. Second during filming the filmmaker is protected by a lexan sheet and eye protection not used during rehearsal. Primary responsibility is the person handling the firearm. Sounds like the set had many problems and Baldwin is the producer so he has a lot of responsibility.

 

And you know this how?

 

"Baldwin was practicing drawing the weapon and pointing it at the camera when it fired, wounding Hutchins and director Joel Souza, witnesses told investigators." Huff post article)

Firearms DO NOT just "go off" on tjeir own.
They are fired. By an operator.
It's called "negligent discharge",
In other words, the shooter was not handling the firearm in a way that kept it from firing.
This fact keep escaping most people.

 

To add, not sure why a movie set would have live rounds, I mean their whole vocation is make believe, and to need live rounds seems not right.