It is the ultimate responsibility of the person with the gun in their hand. This incident is proof of that. There is plenty of blame to go around, but the actor doesn’t get a free pass by blaming someone else. If Baldwin practiced the most basic of gun safety the woman would be alive. Saying that he doesn’t have the ultimate responsibility is irresponsible on its face.
A movie set is the exception.
The armourer is responsible.
Visualize a class of kindergarten kids.... That's what the actors are. The armourer is the teacher, and responsible for all of them. You cannot expect actors to know the first thing about gun safety. Just as you can't expect kindergartners to cross a busy highway by themselves.
Rockinbar is 100 % correct.
You can bet the farm that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's homicide detectives are much better informed than we are ... or the rumor mills of Hollywood. They'll be investigating this incident for quite a while as they'll have to talk to multiple witnesses, multiple times, and examine multiple forensics reports.
EDIT: I've written quite a few shows wherein firearms were used by the actors. I've never written a script where I wrote in the exposition, "The actor aims his gun directly at camera." I've never known a writer who did.
If Baldwin aimed at the camera with the director and camera woman in line with camera, then it was the director who told him to aim at the camera ... and them. If so, did the director instruct Baldwin to cap off a round as they set up the scene?? Remains to be seen. The detectives will be looking at that possibility, too. Lots and lots of "ifs" in this tragic incident.
L.W.
Last edited by Leanwolf; 10/23/21.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
