Hilaria Baldwin / Hillary Hayward-Thomas and Alec Baldwin

[Tabitha D]

I saw that. Such a mess. 500 rounds, including live bullets. The County Sheriff said they suspect that other live rounds were filmed (!). And confirmed it was a live bulletin and not a blank that Alec fired. And they have not yet ruled out Alec (and others) from criminal charges.
This set had so many issues. Heads are clearly going to roll.

 

[NonDairyQueen]

I saw that. Such a mess. 500 rounds, including live bullets. The County Sheriff said they suspect that other live rounds were filmed (!). And confirmed it was a live bulletin and not a blank that Alec fired. And they have not yet ruled out Alec (and others) from criminal charges.
This set had so many issues. Heads are clearly going to roll.

The set sounds like an absolute shitshow. Why, if the guns were locked away were people allowed to just take them out willy nilly for for random target practice when they were bored on set? Sounds like they hired an inexperienced armourer just so they could get away with lax safety rules. Surely a more experienced person would have kept the gun safe under more control?

 

[Blurp]

Real Crime Profile podcast has just done an episode on this and gun safety on set, with a weapons expert. The hosts both worked on Criminal Minds and one is a former FBI agent as well.

Ed: The link is to the podcast on Stitcher; I don't know if it will work if you don't have Stitcher - you can just Google the podcast though.

 

[Dawn Dayn]

Very good point made on Reddit, if the script said Alec shoots himself in the head, would Alec have checked the gun before doing the scene...

 

[FrankieDoyle]

Very good point made on Reddit, if the script said Alec shoots himself in the head, would Alec have checked the gun before doing the scene...

Excellent point. That is something we will never know unfortunately.

 

[Dawn Dayn]

Excellent point. That is something we will never know unfortunately.

Oh I think he would've checked it. And the AD, and the armorer.

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

I don't know if it is a good point.

Then you could also say why didn't the people the gun was pointed it check it.
And you could also say why didn't Brandon Lee check the guns knowing that lots of actors will shoot at him with different guns.

 

[NonDairyQueen]

I don't know if it is a good point.

Then you could also say why didn't the people the gun was pointed it check it.
And you could also say why didn't Brandon Lee check the guns knowing that lots of actors will shoot at him with different guns.

Also didn't some actor shoot himself in the head on a film set?

 

[Dawn Dayn]

I don't know if it is a good point.

Then you could also say why didn't the people the gun was pointed it check it.
And you could also say why didn't Brandon Lee check the guns knowing that lots of actors will shoot at him with different guns.

Why indeed.

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

I guess it is also not that easy to check a gun. If even experienced people can make mistakes, how should someone who is not familiar with guns and shootings know how to really check a gun?

For stunts actors also have to rely on equipment being safe.

And when I hire a car I don't check the brakes, safety belt, airbag etc. I rely on the car being safe to drive.

 

[NonDairyQueen]

I guess it is also not that easy to check a gun. If even experienced people can make mistakes, how should someone who is not familiar with guns and shootings know how to really check a gun?

For stunts actors also have to rely on equipment being safe.

And when I hire a car I don't check the brakes, safety belt, airbag etc. I rely on the car being safe to drive.

I think the isn't that the guns should have been checked but that they shouldn't have been out of the armourers sight and no one should have had access to them. It looks like a small shoot, so it's hardly as if staff on set wouldn't have known that live ammo was being brought on set and that prop guns were being used by crew in their spare time! Whoever was responsible for hiring and firing, and safety on set is responsible. They have hired dodgy/ inexperienced people, maybe on the cheap and have allowed people to do what they like on set. If Alex was a producer and he was on set, he has a responsibility I would have thought for noticing lax safety on set. Everyone else on set seems to coming out of the woodwork now saying it was a shoddy set.

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

I think the isn't that the guns should have been checked but that they shouldn't have been out of the armourers sight and no one should have had access to them. It looks like a small shoot, so it's hardly as if staff on set wouldn't have known that live ammo was being brought on set and that prop guns were being used by crew in their spare time! Whoever was responsible for hiring and firing, and safety on set is responsible. They have hired dodgy/ inexperienced people, maybe on the cheap and have allowed people to do what they like on set. If Alex was a producer and he was on set, he has a responsibility I would have thought for noticing lax safety on set. Everyone else on set seems to coming out of the woodwork now saying it was a shoddy set.

Yes, I agree.

I was just responding to the comment on Reddit that said that AB would have checked the gun if he would shoot himself in the head.

I cannot believe that the same guns were used to fire real live ammunition.
This is just unbelievable.

I am also astonished as to how cheaply everything was done (including hiring this 24 year old girl that looks like an intern).
The glamour of Hollywood! How ironic.

 

[Churchill's Ghost]

It is very easy to check if a gun is loaded. Plus, with a shotgun, you usually carry it broken (I included a photo so people who might not be familiar can see) The AD should have picked up the gun and "broken" it before handing it to AB. They also should have had trigger locks on them when not in use so that they could not be loaded accidentally (in included a photo of that too)

 

[L3moning]

It is very easy to check if a gun is loaded. Plus, with a shotgun, you usually carry it broken (I included a photo so people who might not be familiar can see) The AD should have picked up the gun and "broken" it before handing it to AB. They also should have had trigger locks on them when not in use so that they could not be loaded accidentally (in included a photo of that too)

View attachment 835816

The gun in this case was a revolver, not a shotgun. Although I think, given how you load them, similar applies.

 

[Churchill's Ghost]

Oh,

The gun in this case was a revolver, not a shotgun. Although I think, given how you load them, similar applies.

Oh, I thought they said that it was a shotgun (that may have been early information that has since been corrected - my bad)

ETA: I looked and it was a Colt 45. SInce this was a western movie, I assume it is the old model with the revolving chamber. Literally takes a second to pop the chamber and check

 

[Eltonjohnsflorist]

Surely if Alex (or anyone) were shooting them selves in the head they would be doing so with a completely empty gun (no blanks or otherwise) there for an empty gun wouldn’t be subject to the security any loaded ones would be?

I suspect the film set wasn’t that much of a tit show tbh. Suspect the corner cutting and lack of respect for procedures and safety is pretty standard in many countries

 

[Silly Sausage]

 

[Mustard]

Sounds like her Spanish accent made an appearance at the end when she said turn it off.

 

[Tabitha D]

Yikes. That’s terrible. She looks deranged, and he shouldn’t really be speaking at all (his lawyer won’t be pleased).
I almost feel sorry for Alec. On top of the shooting business, he’s now holed up in Vermont with a fake Spanish wife he can’t bear, six young children and their nannies. He’s in hell.

 

[BigMavis]

Wowsa! He's so unlikeable even through this horrendous situation I find it so difficult to see past that.