# 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:** 112
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2229 "2023-04-20T19:39:25Z")
Charges against Baldwin being dropped (CNN). ETA: > **[Charges dropped against Alec Baldwin in fatal on-set 'Rust' shooting: Sources](https://abcnews.go.com/US/charges-dropped-alec-baldwin-fatal-set-rust-shooting/story?id=98734243)** > > Charges against Alec Baldwin have been dropped in the fatal on-set "Rust" shooting. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2230 "2023-04-20T20:00:37Z")
I presume no real convictable case was deemed possible. I don’t know every detail of any case I’m not involved in…but I did not find Baldwin to be responsible. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2231 "2023-04-21T00:36:58Z")
I believe there are still charges against the armorer that was responsible for the guns. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2232 "2023-04-21T00:37:57Z")
Yeah, this makes a ton of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2233 "2023-04-21T05:41:19Z")
The charges never should have been filed in the first place, but at least they got to the correct decision in the end. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2234 "2023-04-21T15:09:39Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The charges never should have been filed in the first place, but at least they got to the correct decision in the end If I was a resident of NM, I would want a public explanation from the DA about why she needed $250,000 to $500,000 over her office budget and just exactly what they spent it on. I think she saw fame and fortune in her future from prosecuting a famous person. Baldwin is out, Halls was given a sweetheart deal. A year and a half and all that money and all she has to show for it is charges against the lowest hanging fruit. No way should she have made a deal with Halls. I see him as equally guilty to Reed. He brought the gun on set and told everyone it was safe to use. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2235 "2023-04-22T01:29:55Z")
“ The development came after prosecutors received new information in the case — that Baldwin’s prop gun had been modified before being delivered to the low-budget western in October 2021, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment. The replica of the vintage weapon — a Colt .45 revolver — had been modified , increasing the odds that the gun might have misfired, as Baldwin has said, according to the sources.” > **['Rust' prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin after questions over gun...](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-04-20/rust-prosecutors-drop-charges-against-alec-baldwin)** > > New Mexico prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against Alec Baldwin in the fatal 'Rust' shooting, two people familiar with the matter say. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2236 "2023-04-22T07:51:41Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > The replica of the vintage weapon — a Colt .45 revolver — had been modified , increasing the odds that the gun might have misfired, as Baldwin has said, according to the sources.” I wonder what the modification was and why the FBI didn’t mention it in their report. The modification along with the fact that the FBI broke the gun while testing it really screws things up. I always thought Baldwin pulled the trigger, but really believed that he hadn’t. Seems he may have been right. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2237 "2023-04-22T10:57:47Z")
Who knows? I actually don’t blame Baldwin, the actor, but do think that Baldwin, the producer shares some of the blame for cutting corners and hiring an incompetent armorer. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2238 "2023-04-23T05:26:16Z")
That’s exactly how I feel about it. Although negligence of that type doesn’t usually give rise to homicide charges. Early reports said that Baldwin was fooling around with the gun, pointing it at Hutchins and others and playfully threatening to shoot. If that were true, I might feel a little differently, but I haven’t heard it reported by any reputable outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2239 "2023-04-23T07:19:48Z")
Definitely the right call, for several reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2240 "2023-04-24T00:45:20Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > That’s exactly how I feel about it. Although negligence of that type doesn’t usually give rise to homicide charges. > > Early reports said that Baldwin was fooling around with the gun, pointing it at Hutchins and others and playfully threatening to shoot. If that were true, I might feel a little differently, but I haven’t heard it reported by any reputable outlet. I wouldn’t give “manipulated images and video tweeted by right-wing disinformation trolls” the legitimacy implied by the phrase “early reports”. > **[Manipulated quote attributed to Alec Baldwin before fatal prop gun shooting...](https://www.king5.com/article/news/verify/pop-culture/alec-baldwin-prop-gun-shooting-fake-quote/536-9cabf782-c887-4eef-8ea6-904af27a43fe)** > > Following news that Baldwin fired a prop gun that resulted in one person dying and another being injured, a fake quote attributed to the actor circulated online. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2241 "2023-04-24T04:38:10Z")
Well, no wonder I only read it once! I live in Albuquerque, and as big as the news was nationwide, it was even bigger here. A lot of what we heard was of the “my cousin’s wife’s nephew’s friend is an extra and he said” variety, so I assumed that’s where it came from, and when I didn’t see it in any reputable outlets, I dismissed it. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2242 "2023-04-25T16:50:55Z")
> “I’ve said it, and I’m going to say it every single time: There are no weapons on set,” Gerard DiNardi, the film’s new first assistant director, reassured the crew on Friday. “There is nothing that fires. There are a lot of facsimiles of weapons, from rubber to replicas.” > > The movie’s new armorer, Andrew Wert, who handles all weapons and ammunition on set, added that even the dummy rounds — the inert cartridges that are used in movies to resemble real ammunition — were made of rubber and wood, and painted gold. > **[Alec Baldwin Returns to ‘Rust,’ With Fake Guns and Rubber Bullets](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/arts/rust-alec-baldwin-montana.html)** > > An emotional gathering in Montana to finish a film that halted production in 2021 when its cinematographer was killed by a gun Mr. Baldwin was rehearsing with. I wonder how obvious this will be on watching the final movie. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2243 "2023-04-25T18:04:58Z")
Probably not at all. Somewhere in this thread we talked about using rubber/plastic or wood bullets instead of the laborious process of drilling holes in cartridges and putting bbs inside for dummy rounds. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2244 "2023-04-25T18:13:26Z")
As I think I alluded to somewhere earlier in the thread, that’s great as long as your foolproof policies don’t lead to laxness in other areas. “Looks amazingly real doesn’t it? It’s a rubber gun of course, real guns aren’t allowed anywhere on set. See?” _BOOOM_ ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2245 "2023-04-28T00:45:57Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I wonder what the modification was and why the FBI didn’t mention it in their report. The modification along with the fact that the FBI broke the gun while testing it really screws things up. Why would something easily explained not be made public along with how the FBI “broke it”. Hard to say. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2246 "2023-05-09T18:09:42Z")
I thought this discussion I found on tumblr might relevant to this thread First couple of posts is talking about how realistic the gun use is in John Wick. Final post is a recap of an article about gun safety and John Wick, by the director of the movies. Link to article is in the post > **[Ineffable Bastard](https://www.tumblr.com/pendragyn/714596386293858304/petermorwood-jmtorres-hurryupmerlin?source=share)** > > ONE OF THE SEXIEST CLIP ON THE INTERNET ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2247 "2023-05-09T23:41:34Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Definitely the right call, for several reasons. I can’t figure out what you are responding to here. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/2248 "2023-05-10T01:28:46Z")
The right call was to drop the charges against Baldwin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960.md?page=111) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960.md?page=113)