Alec Baldwin's Unfortunate Accident

[Image by commons.wikimedia.org]

During the filming of Alec Baldwin’s new movie “Rust,” Thursday at around 2:00 pm, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch of Santa Fe, New Mexico, two crew members were sent to the hospital after a prop gun was shot.

According to the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department, the call mentioned that a single shot was fired. The person with the gun was actor Alec Baldwin, who hit the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and Joel Souza. Both Hutchins and Souza were rushed to the hospital, where Souza would survive with minor injuries. Still, Hutchins was declared dead at the hospital. Detectives are trying to get more information about the incident and what kind of charge was fired from the gun. So far, it isn’t clear if the gun actually had blanks or if it had actual bullets. Souza is still in the hospital being treated for his serious injuries.

No charges have been filed against Baldwin so far. The rest of the crew all confirmed that the gun was indeed a prop gun and did not have any live ammunition. But sometimes, even blanks can be fatal. There are regulations to follow when using prop guns with blanks.

According to gun safety expert Larry Zanoff, a prop gun with blanks doesn’t have bullets, but it still has gunpowder. To say, prop guns can still be dangerous, and it is believed that it is safe to stand 20 ft away. This is because the muzzle could still set off a potentially hazardous powder being discharged from the muzzle. In addition, there is a paper or plastic wadding that can be projected and still be fatal. However, this isn’t the first time a prop gun used on set had injured or (taken the life) of a movie staff member or actor.

In 1993, Brandon Lee, son of the legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, was killed on set after a prop gun loaded with blanks was shot in his direction during filming. However, during the autopsy, it was actually a live round that killed the actor. In 1984, actor Eric Hexum died from a game of Russian roulette with blanks. It’s evident that when it comes to even work with fake guns and weapons, it’s always safe to follow proper guidelines.

What do you think of this incident? Should the prop crew be responsible for the incident? Does Alec Baldwin share the blame? Or could all of this have been avoided?