Apropos this:
Baldwin was on set filming for the upcoming Western movie “Rust” at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico Thursday when the prop gun he was handling misfired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Souza remains in the hospital.
It’s unclear whether the gun contained blanks or what was discharged.
This is tragic, though not the world’s most important problem. But it happens now and then. I’d worry about the use of guns with blanks in any situation, and I think accidents like this have happened outside the context of filming a Hollywood movie.
Here’s the solution: Invent a series of firearms that look like the various models one would use in films or on stage, but that don’t have the capacity of shooting bullets of any kind, including blanks, but that look like they are shooting bullets. This is not beyond the capacity of our modern day technology. Sure, it would be expensive, but so is every other single thing used in making movies.
Then, disallow actual firearms of any kind on any stage or set.
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“It’s unclear whether the gun contained blanks or what was discharged.”
Recent reports say there was a live round in the gun, but “nobody knows how that could have happened”.
Apparently the usual security actions for guns on sets failed at some point. It is astounding that the use of props for which things can go so horrifically wrong is still a thing.
Two times previously on his set the tech crews had complained to the production company about apparent dangers on the set and the company did nothing. This time the union staff walked out siting an unsafe environment and were replaced by scabs. It was on that day the shooting took place. I responded on Twitter to someone who pointed that switch out and said
I should have clarified that to “murder mystery plot”
As for the guns, I saw on TV today (MSNBC I think) an interview with a prop master from UCLA and he mentioned that most of the guns we see are modified throughout to handle blanks which are smaller diameter than regular rounds and filled with black powder (so you still get the muzzle flash and smoke.) Prop manufacturers make them look like the real thing but some older guns don’t have that.
But yah guns, let’s keep them off the screens – there’s enough senseless violence IRL . Panem et Circenses – sometimes I think we are fed so much violence to keep the proles from revolting against the system – an outlet for the stress of being constantly screwed by the system.
Very good twitter thread here about what should happen concerning safety and guns on sets.
https://twitter.com/sl_huang/status/1451797888158375937
James Arness came to our school to talk about gun safety, and I think I was in 3rd grade so that would have been in 1969 or so. He talked about the fact that on the set of “Gunsmoke” they didn’t use real guns if they were shooting a scene in which the gun would be closer from 20 ft from an actor or stunt performer. He said that even a blank can seriously injure or kill from close range.
Reading Huang’s tweets, I can see why Baldwin may have felt confident he was handling a cold gun, but I was always taught that when handling a gun to check for myself that the chamber is empty and still never point. Baldwin may have some liability here, but I don’t think he should be in prison under a reasonable doubt standard.
I have seen some great stuff made by 3d printers, and I don’t think that a replica that looks real at closeup is out of the question, and since CGI can simulate beams from lightsabers, I see no reason that it can’t simulate gunfire.
“but I was always taught that when handling a gun to check for myself that the chamber is empty and still never point.”
Same. I’m old enough to have been in school when, in phys ed. we had a “gun safety” segment. The teacher had a local guy, involved with the NRA, come in and teach it. I still remember what he said at the end of each of his talks: “Guns aren’t for everyone. If you can’t use them safely you don’t deserve to use one.”