Alec Baldwin accidentally shoots cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead on set.

Goonie

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How did a live bullet ever make it onto the set, let alone in the gun?

...Strange that someone would bring live bullets.
It is unforgivable. By live bullet, do they mean actual bullet, not blank? The production appears to have hired an inexperienced prop head, alongside issues with safety, and Baldwin is a producer.
 
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Landon Caeli

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It is unforgivable. By live bullet, do they mean actual bullet, not blank? The production appears to have hired an inexperienced prop head, alongside issues with safety, and Baldwin is a producer.

Yes, a live bullet is an actual bullet, which should have never been confused with a blank... You can see the difference, where one has a lead piece at the end that shoots out, while the other has folded over ends where the projectile would be.

Buffalo_Blanks_Mounted_Shooting_Blanks-1.jpg

3490.jpg
 
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MehGuy

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I somewhat feel sorry for him, even though he'd probably not be as charitable if it happened to some right wing actor. Sadly he'll probably not go through many days of his life where some jerk isn't calling him a murderer or something.
 
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Goonie

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I somewhat feel sorry for him, even though he'd probably not be as charitable if it happened to some right wing actor. Sadly he'll probably not go through many days of his life where some jerk isn't calling him a murderer or something.
What sticks out is that he is a producer of the film in question. Cheaping out on props and site safety seem to be at the heart of this. Tragedy.
 
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MehGuy

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What sticks out is that he is a producer of the film in question. Cheaping out on props and site safety seem to be at the heart of this. Tragedy.

Yeah, I haven't read too much on the case. If this is due to some negligence on his part I wouldn't mind if he got some prison time. Nothing severe, but maybe a few years. Especially if he careless was shooting the gun around. Even a prop gun you shouldn't play around like that.. considering this has happened in the movie business before. He is a veteran in Hollywood after all.
 
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Desk trauma

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I somewhat feel sorry for him, even though he'd probably not be as charitable if it happened to some right wing actor.
His comments about how Dick Cheney should have been prosecuted for the non-lethal hunting accident he was involved in resurfaced in the wake of this so there is little doubt about that.
 
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Goonie

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Yeah, I haven't read too much on the case. If this is due to some negligence on his part I wouldn't mind if he got some prison time. Nothing severe, but maybe a few years. Especially if he careless was shooting the gun around. Even a prop gun you shouldn't play around like that.. considering this has happened in the movie business before. He is a veteran in Hollywood after all.
At the moment it is looking like he was handed a prop gun assured that it was a 'cold gun' and he was working rather than goofing around. If true his liability is solely as that of a producer.
 
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MehGuy

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At the moment it is looking like he was handed a prop gun assured that it was a 'cold gun' and he was working rather than goofing around. If true his liability is solely as that of a producer.

Ah, alright. I find this scenario a lot more forgivable.

I did see from a right wing news site that he was screaming about Trump and flinging the gun around like a mad man.. but I suspect that report probably isn't the most accurate, lol.
 
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Subduction Zone

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Ah, alright. I find this scenario a lot more forgivable.

I did see from a right wing news site that he was screaming about Trump and flinging the gun around like a mad man.. but I suspect that report probably isn't the most accurate, lol.
They can never forgive him for his too accurate portrayals of Trump on SNL.

There has been some speculation that the prop man may have done this on purpose. It is hard to see how this sort of error could be made.
 
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GoldenBoy89

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Sad situation all around.

I really feel for both the woman who was killed (her family especially) and for Alec as well. I can’t imagine the guilt he must be feeling in all of this. While it’s not entirely his fault since someone else handed him the loaded gun but he also couldn’t have been really following the basic rules of firearm safety or I think this wouldn’t have happened. You always assume a gun is loaded.
 
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Goonie

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They can never forgive him for his too accurate portrayals of Trump on SNL.

There has been some speculation that the prop man may have done this on purpose. It is hard to see how this sort of error could be made.
It's even harder to see a prop person doing this on purpose.
 
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Goonie

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Sad situation all around.

I really feel for both the woman who was killed (her family especially) and for Alec as well. I can’t imagine the guilt he must be feeling in all of this. While it’s not entirely his fault since someone else handed him the loaded gun but he also couldn’t have been really following the basic rules of firearm safety or I think this wouldn’t have happened. You always assume a gun is loaded.
And as producer he is possibly the one hiring those making the fatal mistakes as well.
 
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spiritfilledjm

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I think this whole thing is a senseless, preventable tragedy. If Hollywood spent more time learning about gun safety instead of protesting the right to bear arms...even though they use real guns on set, we wouldn't have this issue. Here is a list of ways that this would have been prevented 100% of the time.

1. The gun should have been given to him completely unloaded, the revolver should have been open and the ammo should have been given to him separately or the gun should have been loaded in front of him as he watched. (Perfect demonstration for the rule that "The gun is always loaded."
2. The director of cinematography and the director should have never been behind the camera that he was aiming at to begin with. Blank or not. There was no reason to be behind it as they have separate monitors that they could have been watching the feed from the camera on. (Perfect demonstration of the rule do not point your firearm at anything you do not intend to destroy.)

In my opinion, any actor who's going to be handling a firearm needs to go through basic firearms safety course. It's been over 25 years since Brandon Lee's death and they're still not learning from past mistakes.
 
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Subduction Zone

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And to add to the post before my last one, that may be what happened here. There may have been some sort of failure and it was not necessarily an actual bullet that caused the death. From a source that knows more than I do on the topic:


"I know a lot of people have asked 'how could this happen?' Well, there are a number of things that could have happened.

"It's possible that the firearm that he was using was loaded with an improper blank, there was something perhaps lodged in the barrel which became a projectile, or the weapon suffered a catastrophic failure and actually blew apart."


Prop Expert Explains How Tragic Alec Baldwin Accident Could Have Happened

Overworking may be part of the problem that led to this tragedy.
 
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trunks2k

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And as producer he is possibly the one hiring those making the fatal mistakes as well.
Maybe, maybe not. Being a producer doesn't necessarily mean you're actually in charge, or making decisions. There's lots of ways of getting producer credit on a film. He could have simply ponied up some money to get the film made.
 
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Attorney Christopher Melcher told Fox News that if Baldwin was “playing around” with the gun or if he was handed the gun and didn’t verify its status as loaded or not, that “would be reckless” and would potentially make Baldwin “responsible.”

Early reports tell us the shooting happened during a rehearsal, which is another potential problem. My understanding is that no one is supposed to be handed a working gun until cameras roll. For rehearsals, a rubber or resin gun is used.

As far as Baldwin’s liability, here are the questions as I see them…

  • As a producer, what was his role in hiring the prop people who are almost certainly responsible for this accident?
  • What was his official requirement as an actor when it came to checking the gun himself? He certainly had a moral responsibility to do so.
  • If this was a rehearsal, why was he pointing a gun at people and pulling the trigger?
  • If this was a rehearsal, why was he not given a fake gun?
  • Regardless, why was he pointing a gun at the director of photography (who was killed)? Was this at the request of the director (who was injured)?
Whatever the answers, this never-ever-ever should have happened.

The established safeguards for the use of firearms on movie and television shoots are foolproof … if followed.
More
 
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