We know that some reports already stated that the gun Alec Baldwin held, which fired a fatal shot at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, was not loaded with a blank but with a live round. Which anyone who knows about blanks already knows has to be the case.
Some in the press still haven’t been too clear on that and have continued to report that this is an unknown. And lots of Hollywood people are saying that there’s no way a live round would have been on set, or are at least asking how the HELL a live round would have been on set, much less in the gun handed to an actor on the set.
But TMZ is now reporting that multiple sources on the set of the film Rust have confirmed that not only was it a live round on that day, but that this particular gun was used every day to fire live ammunition – for recreational purposes.
The smoking gun that claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins might’ve been more than just an on-set prop — it was also being fired recreationally, even when cameras weren’t rolling.
Multiple sources directly connected to the ‘Rust’ production tell TMZ … the same gun Alec Baldwin accidentally fired — hitting the DP and director — was being used by crews members off set as well, for what we’re told amounted to target practice.
“We’re told this off-the-clock shooting — which was allegedly happening away from the movie lot — was being done with real bullets,” TMZ writes, “which is how some who worked on the film believe a live round found its way in one of the chambers that day.”
Real gun. Real bullets. Real bad.
This happened after many complaints from crew that the “green” armorer in charge wasn’t properly handling the on-set weapons, and that there had already been multiple accidental discharges.
Baldwin is not just an actor on the film, and not just the person who fired the fatal shot killing a woman and injuring the director, he’s an executive producer. One of the people responsible for what happens on the set of his film.
This is a terrible thing to happen and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But the question of responsibility and culpability still has to be decided in a court of law. And it is very possible Baldwin’s responsibility is real, and he is legally culpable, even if only in part, for the tragic event. Negligence and lack of gun safety is something with a foreseeable outcome.