The ongoing saga of the tragic production of the movie Rust recently took another step. On January 19, New Mexico state prosecutors leveled criminal charges in the on-set accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed each received two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
This is just the latest chapter in a story that began in October 2021. Baldwin is alleged to have inadvertently fired a prop gun containing a live round. The shot struck and killed Hutchins and injured another crew member. The tragedy led to investigations by local and state law enforcement, the FBI, and New Mexico’s OSHA, a nationwide outcry about safety issues on the set, and a flurry of civil lawsuits from various parties, most yet to be resolved.
Firearm safety is a feature in many of our trainings. We are very familiar with the do’s and don’ts of handling guns. We are mystified about how gun safety was conducted on this set.
Watch our live stream as we break down the safety issues arising from this unfortunate incident and speak about general safety in the film industry.