# 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:** 17
**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:** [October 23, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/324 "2021-10-23T15:58:13Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Is he a total hypocrite? We don’t have enough information at this time to form a full opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/325 "2021-10-23T16:14:37Z")
Meanwhile, First Asst. Director Dave Halls, who handed the loaded gun to Baldwin, also worked on The Crow: Salvation, the sequel to the movie where Brandon Lee was accidentally killed by a gun. Weird. > **[Production crew walked off Baldwin movie set before tragic shooting](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10121545/amp/Production-crew-walked-Alec-Baldwin-movie-set-hours-tragic-shooting.html?__twitter_impression=true)** > > The workers had been complaining about the fact they had to stay overnight in Albuquerque - an hour's drive from the set - and not Sante Fe because production wouldn't pay for their hotels. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/326 "2021-10-23T16:28:47Z")
Some here have been speculating that the film will be canceled. It will be interesting to see. There’s a lot of money at stake, and canceling isn’t going to undo the tragedy. There are probably some big stakeholders, including possibly the guarantor of a completion bond, who may refuse to pay up if they voluntarily decide to abandon the film, which could then trigger a liability suit from lenders/financiers. It would be a mess. If Baldwin himself decides he doesn’t want to continue, he’d personally face major potential liabilities. You can’t just walk out on a contract because you’re emotionally distraught. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/327 "2021-10-23T16:29:45Z")
There’s really not a lot of money at stake; the film’s budget was under six million I believe. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/328 "2021-10-23T16:32:54Z")
I heard it was something like 6 or 7 million. Low-budget by blockbuster standards, but that may still be a lot of money to whoever may have provided it upfront. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/329 "2021-10-23T16:40:17Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Meanwhile, First Asst. Director Dave Halls, who handed the loaded gun to Baldwin, also worked on The Crow: Salvation, the sequel to the movie where Brandon Lee was accidentally killed by a gun. Maybe film isn’t the career for him. Many people leave the film business to have perfectly fine lives in other industries. I think he’s racked up enough of a body-count to seriously consider that as a good lateral move. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/330 "2021-10-23T16:47:47Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > I think he’s racked up enough of a body-count to seriously consider that as a good lateral move. He worked on the _sequel_ to the movie where Brandon Lee died. > … The Crow: Salvation, the sequel to the movie where Brandon Lee was accidentally killed by a gun. ---
**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 23, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/331 "2021-10-23T16:50:18Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Maybe it’s because most of my work is at the studio where Jason Lee died during filming, Do you mean Brandon Lee? Because Jason Lee was killed by [Internet Death Hoax](https://en.mediamass.net/people/jason-lee/deathhoax.html). ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/332 "2021-10-23T16:59:43Z")
I did mean Brandon, of course. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/333 "2021-10-23T17:06:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Though this bit from the Daily Mail article was interesting, > > > ‘I almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but doing it, it went really smoothly,’ Hannah Gutierrez-Reed said in a podcast interview last month after leading the firearms department for The Old Way, starring Nicolas Cage - her first time as head armorer. > > > > She also admitted in the podcast interview she found loading blanks into a gun ‘the scariest’ thing because she did not know how to do it and had sought help from her father, legendary gunsmith Thell Reed, to get over the fear. If she grew up with guns, I would have to assume that she’s just playing a role that she thinks will make herself more relatable to all the LA hipsters who think that you fall over dead from “gun juju” if you ever put your hand on one of the things. I’m going to go with **late nights and drinking** , not lack of knowledge and nepotism. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/334 "2021-10-23T17:06:41Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > How the fuck does someone that “found loading blanks into a gun ‘the scariest’ thing because she did not know how to do it” become an armorer let alone a head one??? If she had said “when I was 9 years old I found that the scariest thing ever but daddy showed me how to do it safely” sure, I could see that. An adult woman saying that? WTF? If you find firearms frightening you have two choices: avoid them entirely, or get trained until you are comfortable with them. It’s fine if someone who grew up to be an armorer started afraid, but if she’s actually hired to do the work she should be way, way, way past that. > [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Alec Baldwin made a video _just 4 days ago_ , strongly supporting IATSE, and saying they should go on strike if they need to, they have been treated terribly, etc. etc. > > Yet at the very same time, union members on _his own movie_ were being treated so badly that they walked out, and were replaced by non-union members – and apparently Baldwin he did nothing to stand up for them. > > **[Alec Baldwin Instagram video](https://www.instagram.com/p/CVMS7PJjIQF/)** (watch from about 8:10) > > Is he a total hypocrite? My vote is “imperfect jerk”. I am not clear how much he might or might not have been aware of everything going on. Although on the day in question it must have been known to everyone there had been a walk-out. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/335 "2021-10-23T17:07:34Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Maybe film isn’t the career for him. Many people leave the film business to have perfectly fine lives in other industries. I think he’s racked up enough of a body-count to seriously consider that as a good lateral move One death is a lot, but he hasn’t worked on more than that unless you are aware of a second incident on another movie. ---
**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 23, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/336 "2021-10-23T17:07:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Note that if I follow @GreenWyvern’s link to the Daily Mail story, it’s apparently since been edited to correct that. > > Though this bit from the Daily Mail article was interesting, > > > ‘I almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but doing it, it went really smoothly,’ Hannah Gutierrez-Reed said in a podcast interview last month after leading the firearms department for The Old Way, starring Nicolas Cage - her first time as head armorer. > > > > She also admitted in the podcast interview she found loading blanks into a gun ‘the scariest’ thing because she did not know how to do it and had sought help from her father, legendary gunsmith Thell Reed, to get over the fear. Because I don’t trust the Daily Mail, it’s not clear if the “loading blanks in a gun” was talking about her first time as head armorer or when she was still training. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/337 "2021-10-23T17:31:58Z")
On the lighter side- was there really a market for a movie starring Alec Baldwin? Who wants to see that? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/338 "2021-10-23T17:50:18Z")
Hey, he was terrific as Trump on SNL! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/339 "2021-10-23T17:51:15Z")
I would, at least potentially. I’ve enjoyed Alec Baldwin in most things I’ve seen him in. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/340 "2021-10-23T17:53:09Z")
The armorer was young, inexperienced and female, and it’s very probable that she was brushed aside by senior men on the set and her concerns ignored, and that she didn’t have the self-confidence to either stand up to them or walk out. However, the real question is why there were live rounds on the set in the first place. That’s inexcusable. The presence of live rounds must surely be the armorer’s responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/341 "2021-10-23T17:58:41Z")
There has been lots of speculation about what happened here, but there are two things I’ve read that if true are more than fishy. IF it’s true that protocol was breached and that Baldwin was given the weapon by anyone other than the armorer, and IF it’s true that this breach of protocol featured a weapon with a live round… Holy hell, that’s fucked up to say the least. (Also, if true, wouldn’t Baldwin have known that it was weird that someone other than the armorer gave him the gun?) ---
**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:** [October 23, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/342 "2021-10-23T18:06:14Z")
What’s really crazy is that there were THREE previous accidental discharges from supposedly ‘cold’ guns. How does that happen? The armorer also sounds totally incompetent - and absent while a scene involving guns was shot. This sounds all kinds of of messed up. Probably a toxic, completely dysfunctional atmosphere with rules being broken all over thr place. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960/343 "2021-10-23T18:06:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Again: been there. Multiple times. Slept in a kitchen at the Hilton Garden in Monterey once rather than drive back to Santa Cruz and then back to Monterey 6 hours later, for example. > > It isn’t right and it isn’t cool, but it happens. > > People not in the business don’t really realize just how hard it is. That these conditions exist and that the conditions that led to this tragedy exist are not at all surprising to me. There was, maybe a month or so ago, someone on Twitter/Instagram collecting a bunch of these film-employee horror stories in one place, and it was so painful to read. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alec-baldwin-accidentally-kills-crew-member-with-prop-gun-2021-10-21/952960.md?page=18)