Alec Baldwin Violated the Golden Rule of Firearm Safety…But Somehow It’s Going to Be the Gun’s Fault

Actor Alec Baldwin’s unintentional discharge of a firearm that in the end took the lifetime of a coworker was undoubtedly a tragedy. Nevertheless, that tragedy may need been prevented if Baldwin had adopted the essential guidelines of firearm security.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Workplace in New Mexico mentioned Thursday {that a} “prop firearm” Baldwin fired on the set of his film “Rust” had killed director of pictures Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

Sheriff’s workplace: Star’s ‘prop firearm’ kills one, injures one other https://t.co/wuFa9DMRBI

— Santa Fe New Mexican (@thenewmexican) October 22, 2021

IndieWire obtained an e mail from the Worldwide Alliance of Theatrical Stage Workers Native 44, which represents prop masters, that mentioned, “A reside single spherical was by chance fired on set by the principal actor, hitting each the Director of Pictures, Native 600 member Halnya Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza.”

The assertion implies a failure by Baldwin to stick to a number of fundamental guidelines of firearm security.

The California Division of Justice lists six basic gun safety rules, beginning with what is perhaps known as the golden rule of firearm security: “Deal with all weapons as if they’re loaded.”

Nos. 2 and three are “Hold the gun pointed within the most secure attainable course” and “Hold your finger off the set off till you’re able to shoot.”

On the very least, Baldwin seems to not have adopted the primary two guidelines.

If he had been treating the gun as if it have been loaded, he wouldn’t have pointed it wherever close to different crew members.

As well as, despite the fact that Baldwin more than likely thought the gun was not loaded, it nonetheless wouldn’t have been applicable to level it at harmless bystanders. Whereas blanks aren’t as harmful as reside rounds, they nonetheless have the power to harm individuals, and they need to be handled as such.

So far as the third rule, it’s unclear whether or not Baldwin meant to fire the weapon. If he fired purposely pondering there was a clean within the chamber, he was solely in violation of the primary two guidelines. If he didn’t imply to fireplace the gun in any respect, he was doubtless in violation of all three.

Baldwin has for years been a staunch advocate for gun management. Some Twitter customers argued that if he had taken a while to study extra about weapons earlier than dealing with one, he may need identified what to keep away from.

The entire Alec Baldwin factor is tragic. It must also be a reminder that a part of gun security is educating somebody to not simply assume a gun your handed is loaded, however to visually examine the chamber your self as quickly as you’re taking management and ensure what – if any – ammo is in it.

— Walt (@AU_GS_Walt) October 22, 2021

It’s a disgrace Alec Baldwin was so anti NRA! Had he taken their gun security programs a life might have been saved!

— Frank J McCall (@RealFrankJMcCa1) October 22, 2021

Former American Immigration Attorneys Affiliation director Matthew Kolken mentioned if Baldwin had been pro-gun as a substitute of anti-gun, he wouldn’t get the identical remedy with the institution media within the wake of the capturing Thursday.

“If Alec Baldwin have been a Republican the media can be reporting that he ‘shot and killed Halyna Hutchins with a semi-automatic firearm’ as a substitute of referring to the incident as an ‘unintentional discharge of a prop gun,’” Kolken wrote in a tweet. “After which there can be the requires gun management laws.”

If Alec Baldwin have been a Republican the media can be reporting that he “shot and killed Halyna Hutchins with a semi-automatic firearm” as a substitute of referring to the incident as an “unintentional discharge of a prop gun.”

After which there can be the requires gun management laws.

— Matthew Kolken (@mkolken) October 22, 2021

In the meantime, progressives have been utilizing the incident as a name for extra gun management.

WARNING: The next tweet accommodates language that some viewers might discover offensive.

WTF IS GOING ON?!

Hollywood, no extra weapons on units. Severely, what the hell?! Somebody critically died.

Gun management in Hollywood. Gun management in every single place. https://t.co/Jk3HYHYoLq

— Ernest Owens is married now! (@MrErnestOwens) October 22, 2021

Baldwin’s state of affairs is actually a tragedy, and he’s certainly devastated by what occurred.

With that mentioned, blaming weapons as a substitute of advocating for extra training about the best way to use them is dishonest and irresponsible.