Deadly accidents on the sets of Hollywood films are nothing new. Milla Jovovich’s stunt double had her right arm amputated after having it crushed in a motorcycle stunt accident. Stuntmen and stuntwomen are injured all the time. There was the famous accident on the set of the Twilight Zone film. There have been numerous accidents on the sets of Sly Stallone films. Perhaps most famous is the untimely death of Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, who was killed on the set of the action-fantasy film, The Crow. According to our sources, a blank round was improperly prepared, resulting in a partial projectile hitting Lee. He died, and the film was completed using CGI renderings of the star in key missing scenes.
Now, actor Alec Baldwin has fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director on the set of Rust, an upcoming western. The crew was using working replicas of guns of the period. The one Baldwin fired was meant to be empty, but it contained a live round, and the actor shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. The case is moving toward a criminal investigation.
According to Newsmax.com, Baldwin had this to say about the incident, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours.” The comment was posted to his Twitter feed.
On the surface, this would seem like an honest mistake. Indeed, we do believe it was a mistake that Baldwin shot a live round into Hutchins, a powerful Colt .45 LC round that passed through her and injured Souza.
Speaking as people who own firearms, train with them, and practice strict firearms safety measures, it is clear to us that negligence played a part in this tragedy. When Baldwin was handed the weapon, he was told it was safe. No adult should handle, much less pull the trigger on a gun, that he does not know and say for certain is safe and clear.
These cowboy guns are not like modern guns. They would feel awkward to anyone handling them for the first time, even someone familiar with modern guns. According to Baldwin, he was handed the weapon and was told it was free of live rounds. The actor then aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.
We do not know if he could see Hutchins when he pointed the gun directly at her and pulled the trigger. But, Alex Baldwin is an adult who aimed a real firearm at a living person and killed her without taking the time to understand the weapon, inspect it, and ensure it was safe for use as a prop. This is negligence, clear and simple.
Imagine playing “cowboys and indians” with your children using a real gun. Even if you knew it was unloaded and safe, the idea of pointing a real gun at a child is unthinkable. On a Hollywood set, the idea of pointing a gun at a human being without being certain it is safe is a disgusting display of criminal foolishness. But Baldwin apparently has no such sensibility.
