I’m generally skeptical when it comes to gun charges against people, at least, until I know the details. After all, too often (at least in blue states, it seems), gun charges are simply an attempt to take away the gun rights of an American citizen or a way to punish a person for defending themselves.
But, then, you have that occasion when an obnoxious, aggressive, anti-2A nutcase uses a gun and something horrible happens. When it does, then, besides asking why an anti-2A zealot (who hates guns) had their hands on a gun in the first place, you also might be tempted to have a knee-jerk reaction that this is one of those times when a person should be punished.
I’m tempted to think about the situation that we’re talking about today in the latter way because it’s Alec Baldwin who is getting charged again for a 2021 shooting death on a movie set. Jack Phillips writes,
Actor Alec Baldwin was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury over the 2021 death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a prop gun fired a live round and struck her, according to court documents.
According to several media outlets, the move to indict Mr. Baldwin was confirmed Friday after the grand jury heard evidence presented by special prosecutors. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Specifically, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter—negligent use of a firearm—or, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter—without due caution or circumspection—reported ABC News. Both are fourth-degree felonies.
Now, again, I tend to be cautious about having opinions about gun charges until I know more details about the situation because they can often be politicized.
But Baldwin has been a complete… jerk, we’ll say… about his opposition to gun rights, and, as is too often the case, those who oppose gun rights are the very people who, clearly, can’t be trusted with firearms. They just want to punish everyone for their own ignorance and weakness.
Having said that, I hope that the truth comes out and justice is served in the trial (whatever that outcome is). I also hope that Baldwin gets his head out of his backside when it comes to the subject of the Second Amendment. Because it seems pretty clear that he is completely unqualified to have an opinion on the subject.
Baldwin claims he did not pull the trigger while cocking and decocking (last I heard) the gun. I believe the gun he fired was a Colt Single Action Army or a copy of that model. It is a single action revolver. In order to load or unload the firearm you must cock the hammer back (usually with the thumb) half way to unlock the cylinder so it can spin to load or unload it. Then to decock the hammer, the hammer must be pulled back all the way, then the trigger depressed (usually with the trigger finger) to allow the hammer to be dropped back forward to the closed or down position. The thumb rides the hammer down to the down position. If the thumb slips off even at the last instant and the hammer hits the firing pin with any force it will almost certainly strike the firing pin and cause the gun to discharge a round. The gun can not be decocked without depressing the trigger to allow the hammer to move forward. So in order to cock and decock the revolver he had to be operating the trigger. All that being said, he should have been practicing safe firearm handling by ensuring the firearm was unloaded before handling it and also by making sure it was pointed in a safe direction and not at anyone. I read that people on the set were using the gun to target shoot and failed to unload it after. Very irresponsible but not an excuse. anyone who handles a firearm has the responsibility to make sure it is not loaded and to not point it at anyone. Basic forearms safety. Also, the armorer in charge pf firearms on set should not have allowed unauthorized individuals to take possession of and use the gun. The production employs an armorer for a reason- to oversee the storage and use of firearms. In my opinion Baldwin and the armorer are at fault for negligence regarding the gun. The armorer for failing to secure the gun and Baldwin for irresponsible and unsafe handling of it.
EXACTLY!!
Excellent!
I completely agree with Chris. I’ve been around and used firearms for 50+ years. In all that time, I have NEVER had a negligent discharge. (There’s no such thing as accidental discharge unless the firearm is very old or is not functioning correctly.)
It won’t bring Halyna back but those who cause loss of human life without a damned good reason needs to be held accountable for their actions. Intention, or lack thereof, may be a mitigating factor but it doesn’t absolve anyone from being responsible.
He got what he earned. Had he not been in a rush and pinching Pennie’s he would not be in this MESS. Look he had used guns on other sets so he knew the rules about guns. 1) NEVER point a gun at anyone a pull the trigger unless you are 1,000,000% sure it is not loaded. 2) NEVER allow regular ammo in a prop gun. 3) Everyone MUST attend training and PAY ATTENTION while in TRAINING.4) NEVER take another’s word when it comes to an unloaded gun CHECK it YOURSELF to insure it is in FACT unloaded.5) EVEN if you know it is Inloaded NEVER EVER point it at anyone and pull the Trigger. 6) When you are the boss and Owner of the Film Company YOU are RESPONSIBLE for EVERYTHING good or Bad that happens no matter who does it.
No, you never point a gun at anyone unless you intend on shooting them. Not even a gun you know is unloaded. It’s just not safe practice. There is no reason to ever point a firearm at anyone or anything that you are not going to shoot. Your comment not to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger unless you know 1,000,000% know for sure it’s not loaded is just a plain unsafe practice. One of those times you or someone you teach that to is going to know for sure in their head that gun is unloaded and they are going to be wrong. The only way to prevent that mistake from ever happening is that you never point any firearm at anyone or anything you don’t intend on shooting and even once you have cleared a weapon yourself you still treat it as if it was loaded. There is no such thing as a unloaded gun. That means there is no such thing as a safe gun. And that is because we as humans make mistakes. We can look at a cylinder and see perfectly well that there is not a round in the chamber and yet there will be a round in the chamber. Our senses, our vision, gets tricked from time to time. We have to develop ways to compensate for that when it comes to something that can take a life and how that is handled and how we teach others to handle it. That being so wet NEVER teach anyone that it is safe to point a gun at anyone or anything unless your intend to shoot it. And you never shoot anyone or anything you don’t intend to kill. I don’t believe in shooting to wound. It’s undue pain on an animal, and if you’re shooting a person it’s in defense of your own life or the lives of those you care about. Shooting to wound only gives them a chance to come back and return the favor. After being shot in the left shoulder with a .25 which punctured and collapsed my lung I can tell you I was perfectly able to return fire had I had my pistol with me at the time. I was still capable of getting in a car and driving around to track them down and shoot them. It hurt in an unbelievable way. But that’s too be expected when you have a broken shoulder blade, the ball joint on your shoulder is broken, the second rib is broken and the lung has been penetrated front and back walls then again through the back wall of the lung and the bullet stopped inside the lung where it remains. I didn’t stop to ask them if they had anything bigger and wanted to try again though. And I didn’t stop to ridicule them for their choice in weaponry. As a result of being shot by a .25 I built my girlfriend a Raven P-25 from back in the end of the 60’s. And I have confidence in its ability to do least hurt and make someone second guess their decision to make a second attempt.
All that said, please, please, re-educate yourself on the proper handling of a gun. And anyone you have taught that it’s ok to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger as long as it’s not loaded please, God please go back and humble yourself and explain to them that your where wrong and that they should never point a gun at anyone they don’t intend to shoot and kill and there is no such thing as an unloaded gun or a safe gun. All guns are capable of killing and all guns should be treated as if they are loaded with a round in the chamber. If you don’t then one day you will pull up an unloaded gun and tragedy will strike.
The one rule, the one basic rule, Never point a gun at anyone, at anything you do not intend to shoot. Ever. The tragedy wasn’t caused by Baldwin alone, the violations cascaded into tragedy – but had he not been the operative factor, had he not pointed (I do not say “aimed” – that’s unknown) it would not have happened. The event illustrates why hands-on firearm instruction should be a required (and repeated) grade school subject – like driving an automobile.
ALL True, but I hope they find the person who put or left the live round in the gun,
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