Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” crew members shot at beer cans with live ammunition before the fatal accident that claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins. This revelation comes on the heels of a mountain of speculation over the type of ammunition in the weapon. Alec Baldwin accidentally shot Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal with what he thought was a “cold” gun, meaning that it was loaded with “blanks” or unloaded. The gun was loaded with live ammunition and one bullet was enough to not only kill Hutchins but also injure the director behind her, Joel Souza. Law enforcement held a press conference in New Mexico announcing the presence of the FBI and that no criminal charges are off the table for anyone.
Reports from various past and recent crew members suggest red flags were abundant in this situation. Most of the original crew walked out over working conditions and safety concerns. When the original crew returned to retrieve their belongings, they were greeted by locals who had replaced them. So instead of addressing the issues of the original crew, the people in charge of the movie simply kicked the can down the road. The armorer in this case is key because they are the ones who provide the “prop” guns and other weapons to use in films. This is an area that Alec Baldwin (the boss) cannot afford to skimp out on. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened. The first choice for armorer declined the role because he saw the same problems the original crew saw. He was replaced with a 24-year-old by the name of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
Gutierrez-Reed is the daughter of famous Hollywood blacksmith and armorer Thell Reed. Thell Reed’s claim to fame is training Brad Pitt with weaponry. No reports of any accidents have ever been laid at the feet of Thell. In the case of Hannah, however, she is very new to being an armorer. She was just in college last year. On a podcast last month, Hannah even admitted that she was sort of nervous about being an armorer and doing things like loading blank rounds. The crew of “Rust” was clearly not prepared to run a safe and efficient work environment. Maybe this is simply a result of poor leadership. And that falls right back on to the movie’s boss, Alec Baldwin.
Professionalism is a thing that is often taken for granted but is also often needed the most. Five hundred rounds of live and blank ammunition mixed together on a movie set is the furthest thing from professional. The only ammo on set should have been blank. All weapons on set should have been checked to make sure they were loaded with blanks. This obviously did not happen. And if it did, then someone must be held accountable, possibly even criminally so.
SOURCES:
‘I wasn’t sure if I was ready’: Doubts of head armorer, 24, in charge of guns on Alec Baldwin film | Daily Mail Online
Rust actor says cameras were safe while actors were left unprotected as cast grew terrified | Daily Mail Online
‘Rust’ crew used Alec Baldwin’s prop gun for ‘plinking’
Alec Baldwin shooting: District attorney hasn’t ruled out criminal charges – CNN
Veteran prop master turned down ‘Rust’ over ‘massive red flags’
Brandon Lee was killed by a prop gun in 1993 before Alec Baldwin incident – The Washington Post
No One Excluded from Possible ‘Rust’ Charges, Work History Considered
Hannah Gutierrez: ‘Rust’ armorer’s dad is stuntman Thell Reed who trained Brad Pitt | MEAWW
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