# Alec Baldwin \[accidentally\] Kills Crew Member with Prop Gun {2021-10-21} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [October 22, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960 "2021-10-22T02:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/181 "2021-10-22T16:49:46Z")
Sorry, I’m still not seeing the relevance. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/182 "2021-10-22T16:49:57Z")
Baldwin has tweeted his shock and sadness and stated that he is fully cooperating with the investigation. He also says he has been in contact with Hutchins’ husband to offer his support. [https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/1451572461787439106](https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/1451572461787439106) ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/183 "2021-10-22T16:50:19Z")
I wish I could remember the movie but one of it’s quirks is that they could not afford special guns so they decided to use real ones. With real ammo. The pertinent scenes are filmed near cars and you can see windows getting blown away fairly close to the actors At least one of the actors was quite surprised as it was closer then they expected. I’ve seen the movie with prior knowledge of the bullets. Oh, crap. I hope this doesn’t turn into a “Big” kinda thing. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/184 "2021-10-22T16:53:53Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I wish I could remember the movie but one of it’s quirks is that they could not afford special guns so they decided to use real ones. With real ammo. > **[Times Movie Fight Scenes Used Real Weapons On Purpose - Looper](https://www.looper.com/112026/times-movie-fight-scenes-used-real-weapons-purpose/)** > > From live ammunition to broken bottles to a chainsaw that very nearly was a Texas massacre, these movies all used real weapons. > A lot of movies feature Navy SEALs, one of the US military’s elite special operations units. That normally means actors portraying SEALs, but for Act of Valor, the filmmakers went the extra mile: the commandos in their film were portrayed by actual, real SEALs. Realism was the goal of the movie, which was in part intended to inspire a wave of recruits into the Navy. Well, it doesn’t get much more real than live ammunition — which is exactly what they used for the film’s shoot. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/185 "2021-10-22T16:54:16Z")
ISTR hearing that early films, especially using Tommy guns, used live ammo. I have not verified. Robert Rodriguez borrowed submachine-guns from the Mexican cops. Since they were service weapons (and he didn’t have an armourer) they could not be modified to fire blanks. The blank would fire, but the action wouldn’t cycle. So he made it look like they were firing automatically through editing. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/186 "2021-10-22T16:54:49Z")
I think it’s disgraceful you’re suggesting police officers in a department you know nothing about, would improperly attempt to “pin something” on anyone, without **any evidence.** It’s fine to criticize police for the things they do wrong, but just pre-emptively stating they’re railroading someone is incredibly dishonest, immature behavior. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/187 "2021-10-22T16:55:16Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I wish I could remember the movie but one of it’s quirks is that they could not afford special guns so they decided to use real ones. With real ammo. The pertinent scenes are filmed near cars and you can see windows getting blown away fairly close to the actors At least one of the actors was quite surprised as it was closer then they expected. I’ve seen the movie with prior knowledge of the bullets. I don’t suspect its what your thinking of (due to a distinct lack of car chases) but Sergei Eisenstein famously insisted on using live ammunition during the filming of the storming of the Tzars Winter Palace scene in Battleship Potemkin. With the result that filming the scene cost more lives than the _actual_ storming of the winter palace during the the Russian Revolution. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/188 "2021-10-22T16:57:53Z")
_Preemptive but as I’m going to be out this afternoon._ **Please do not go off on a tangent about the Police**. If desired, start a new thread linking back to here. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/191 "2021-10-22T17:05:31Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Please do not go off on a tangent about the Police So Sting’s a suspect now? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/192 "2021-10-22T17:06:59Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Realism was the goal of the movie, which was in part intended to inspire a wave of recruits into the Navy. Well, it doesn’t get much more real than live ammunition — which is exactly what they used for the film’s shoot. Bloody hell, did none of the professionals (military or filmaking) involved point out this was a really bad idea? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/193 "2021-10-22T17:09:23Z")
One person shot accidentally I can see, but how do you shoot two accidentally? Best I can figure is it was a camera angle where he was shooting at the camera, showing it front-on, the bullet or whatever the projectile was hit the person behind the camera, went through her and hit the director. The wife and I had the exact same thought when we heard this, and that was it sounded like an episode of _Monk_. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/194 "2021-10-22T17:10:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > One person shot accidentally I can see, but how do you shoot two accidentally? Detective: You’re saying he fell on the knife 17 times? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/195 "2021-10-22T17:11:31Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > > One person shot accidentally I can see, but how do you shoot two accidentally? > > Detective: You’re saying he fell on the knife 17 times? -🤨 He kept slipping in his own blood. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/196 "2021-10-22T17:13:15Z")
I think someone said it upthread, but I’d also like the Mods to consider changing the thread title-at least until we know more? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/197 "2021-10-22T17:14:00Z")
Yeah, it reads like Baldwin lost his temper on the set. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/198 "2021-10-22T17:15:26Z")
I agree, and will flag it so. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/199 "2021-10-22T17:29:15Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The wife and I had the exact same thought when we heard this, and that was it sounded like an episode of _Monk_ . I thought the same too, although I can’t find it. There is the episode where someone gets killed at the circus and you find out they basically tricked the elephant into performing a “squish a watermelon” trick on someone’s head. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/200 "2021-10-22T17:31:08Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I thought the same too, although I can’t find it. There is the episode where someone gets killed at the circus and you find out they basically tricked the elephant into performing a “squish a watermelon” trick on someone’s head. The episode that first spring’s to my mind is the one where Sharona’s sister is in a play and gets popped for murder when someone switches a prop knife on stage with a real knife that her character uses to “kill” another character. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/201 "2021-10-22T17:33:16Z")
Reading a description of the movie’s plot, it’s about “a 13-year-old boy and his younger brother . . . who go on the run with their estranged grandfather, played by Baldwin.” Ugh, I _really_ hope that there weren’t children on the set for this scene. This whole thing just makes my stomach churn. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/202 "2021-10-22T17:34:10Z")
Some good information from experts. My speculation is the gun was angled away from the other actor and no one thought about people standing off screen. [MSN](https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/what-went-wrong-gun-prop-experts-on-alec-baldwin-disaster/ar-AAPQ8cb) > [@](#): > > “Rule number one, when you’re doing these rehearsals, the firearm, even though it has blanks, it’s never fired at anybody, the angles are always cheated,” Howell says. “Those angles always look to the viewer as though it’s directed at them, but it isn’t, it’s always aimed off. So, the actors train, train, train, and then when the armorer decides that rehearsal is fine and lets everybody know, then you go ahead. So, it’s very, very controlled—health and safety risk assessments before you get there, and everybody is aware when there are live firearms on the set firing blanks.” > > “We never point that barrel at another actor, even if it’s a gun that has a block barrel, it’s just good training,” Hunter added. “If you don’t point a gun at another human, it won’t kill them. You’re never supposed to have live ammunition on the set, but just because there’s no live ammunition does not mean that something can get in the barrel of a gun and become a projectile.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960.md?page=11)