Alec Baldwin fatally shoots woman with prop gun on movie set

Now they're saying the armoror on the set was only 24 but is an expert shooter. So she should know the difference between blanks and live rounds. Others are saying that many directors like to film the weapon with a real round/real looking dummy round in the chamber such as with a revolver. If it was the cinemaphotographer that was killed maybe(unclear) the director wanted a shot looking straight at the gun as to show it was loaded.

A lot of talk of a 'hot' or 'cold' gun but the same definition is not used on all movie sets.

Also as many have noted the gun should've never been pointed at anyone. I think Bladwin has made action movies before so he should have a concept of gun safety even though an anti gunner.
 
live rounds
What the hell were live rounds even doing on the set? I cannot imagine any legitimate reason. The "armoror" has a lot to answer for here.
I think Bladwin has made action movies before so he should have a concept of gun safety even though an anti gunner.
Yes, anyone who touches a firearm must. Anything more lethal than a slingshot... Being pro or anti gun has nothing to do with it...
 

This isn't the first time Brandon Lee and Jon-Erik Hexum also died from prop guns.

It seems to me basic safety measures like being sure the gun is not actually aimed at anyone and not firing too close should have prevented this...

Gun safety is important, even with blanks...
Yes, i was having trouble remembering Hexum's full name, in that case he actually shot himself. Why had no-one explained that up close blanks can do damage? Or why hadn't he listened?

And i'm sure top of list questions authorities will have will be about whether the safety protocols had been followed.
 
Now they're saying the armoror on the set was only 24 but is an expert shooter. So she should know the difference between blanks and live rounds. Others are saying that many directors like to film the weapon with a real round/real looking dummy round in the chamber such as with a revolver. If it was the cinemaphotographer that was killed maybe(unclear) the director wanted a shot looking straight at the gun as to show it was loaded.

A lot of talk of a 'hot' or 'cold' gun but the same definition is not used on all movie sets.

Also as many have noted the gun should've never been pointed at anyone. I think Bladwin has made action movies before so he should have a concept of gun safety even though an anti gunner.
Actually i would expect an 'anti-gunner' as you've labeled him to be even more cautious around guns since he does sometimes have to handle them in his work.
 
Another point is that most of the crew had "walked out" that morning leaving just a few behind. One of the people on strike might have been angry with those who stayed. A gun intentionally set up with a live round sounds impossible to me, but people get very serious about their jobs.
 
Another point is that most of the crew had "walked out" that morning leaving just a few behind. One of the people on strike might have been angry with those who stayed. A gun intentionally set up with a live round sounds impossible to me, but people get very serious about their jobs.
Didn't a Hollywood union renew their contract earlier this week? They weren't part of the same union?
 
In the early movies, real bullets were used and actors were expected to move away fast. So says Jimmy Cagney in his autobiography. A professional shooter was used, as in The Public Enemy.
 
In the early movies, real bullets were used and actors were expected to move away fast. So says Jimmy Cagney in his autobiography. A professional shooter was used, as in The Public Enemy.
He must have been joking. I have many of Cagney's old movies. As a shooter, I can tell by the lack of recoil, there is no real ammo used. In fact, NO movie or TV series uses real ammo.
 
Several comments above say that Baldwin should have checked the gun himself when it was handed to him.

In "real life," personally checking whether or not a gun is loaded is correct procedure. But not on a movie set. Many actors are not shooters in real life and are not familiar guns. I overheard several actors say they were a little nervous because they had never even touched a gun before. Having someone who doesn't know anything about guns check them for safety is a recipe for disaster.

Gun safety on set is the responsibility of the prop master or the armorer. They are responsible for the guns themselves, and also for insuring that the actors know how to handle them. For example, one young actress who had never touched a gun before had to grab a shotgun and kill the bad guy. So they took her off set somewhere safe and taught her how to handle it and let her shoot it a few times so that, on camera, she looked like she knew what she was doing. Which she really didn't.

News reports indicate that the gun was handed to Baldwin by an assistant director. That is a safety violation. Why was anyone other than the the armorer (or an assistant armorer) dealing with guns? News reports also indicate that this assistant director told Baldwin that the gun was safe, which it obviously wasn't. In all my years on set, I never saw anyone other than a prop master or armorer give a gun to an actor.

As I said above (post #17) camera crews tend to extremely conscious of gun safety because, aside from the actors, we are closer to the action than anyone else, and therefore most in danger should anything go wrong. And it's not only when things go wrong. When the actors shoot toward the camera, they are shooting right at us, and often at close range. As an assistant, standing right beside the camera, I personally have had guns (mostly 9mm and .38, but also shotguns and once, for an extra level of excitement, twin .50 cal machine guns) fired right in my face hundreds of times. So, I am not surprised at all that the camera crew had quit over previous "misfires."

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VICTOR - -

Yes, The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees did just renew their contract. Local 600, the International Photographers Guild, is part of the IA. The camera crew members who quit are memberS of that local.

Regarding James Cagney's statement that real guns were used in old movies, well, don't believe everything you read.
 
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When all the investigations, etc., are complete, I suspect that someone in charge of this gun intentionally put real bullets into it. I cannot imagine anyone who has basic knowledge of firearms Not knowing the difference between a blank and a real bullet. I see charges of Manslaughter, or murder coming.
 
Thanks Raybar, always good to hear from someone who knows what he's talking about. However:
Several comments above say that Baldwin should have checked the gun himself when it was handed to him.

In "real life," personally checking whether or not a gun is loaded is correct procedure. But not on a movie set. Many actors are not shooters in real life and are not familiar guns. I overheard several actors say they were a little nervous because they had never even touched a gun before. Having someone who doesn't know anything about guns check them for safety is a recipe for disaster.
I am sure you are right about standard procedures and the lack of gun knowledge of many actors. However it seems to me that basic safety requires these people to be trained. No one who doesn't know how to safely check a gun should be handling one. This is not difficult or time consuming training. Makes no more sense than asking an actor who has never driven a car to do a chase scene, actually driving.
 
My question about his is simply...... Why was the gun pointed at the young lady ? I mean didn't it have be for her to be shot ? If the scene ws about him [Baldwins character] shooting a bad guy, wouldn't that be another actor ? Not a set director ?

Did the gun explode ? As such the projectile go WAY off target .

Speaking of the projectile, was it a true bullet ? It would almost have to be to pass through one person,and hit the other.
 

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