‘Field Shooting’ Baldwin… How did the gun with the live ammunition end up in his hand

Itaewon, the western movie set that looked like the Sewol ferry
Prosecution “Baldwin cannot avoid responsibility”

The western movie set where the incident took place was a small 19th-century wooden church built in the desert area of ​​New Mexico, USA. When a single gunshot rang out from inside, the staff outside thought that filming had begun as planned. Seconds later, the screenwriter stormed out of the church. “Call 911, 911!”

Inside the set, lead actor Alec Baldwin (64) stood frozen. The scene he just rehearsed was written like this in the script. ‘The outlaw (Baldwin) decides to shoot himself from a church pew to confront the sheriff who comes under siege.’

The film was about a gray-haired outlaw who struggles to save his teenage grandson from being hanged for accidentally killing a farm owner. As the rehearsal began, Baldwin pulled an older 45-caliber revolver from a holster on his shoulder. The gun went through his chest and toward the camera lens, and gunfire rang out.

Two people were lying on the set. The bullet went through the body of cinematographer Halina Hutchins (42) and lodged in the shoulder of director Joel Souza (48) who was behind. Baldwin, who tried to protect his grandson who committed murder in the play, became an actor who shot live bullets at the production crew in reality. Hutchins, the mother of her 10-year-old son, was killed and Souza was seriously injured.

On the afternoon of October 21, 2021, Baldwin is talking to someone on the phone, looking puzzled after a gun accident during filming. AP Newsis

On the 31st of last month, 1 year and 3 months after the incident, Bold One was charged with manslaughter. Ironically, he was a person who advocated strong gun control and was regarded as a thorn in the eye of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The handgun Baldwin picked up on set passed through the hands of a prop manager, weapons manager, and assistant director. The weapon manager checks whether the bullets brought by the prop manager are blanks and loads them into the gun, and the assistant director double-checks whether it is safe to shoot and hands them over to the actors. At the time, the assistant director gave Baldwin a gun and said, “Cold gun (a gun with a blank bullet),” but a live ammunition was stuck in front of the trigger.

45 caliber old revolver handed to Baldwin at the time of the incident. There are several chambers that put bullets in cylinders instead of magazines. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

For a 24-year-old woman who was in charge of arms management, this film was her second film. She was the daughter of a famous prop gun supplier in Hollywood. Even in her first film, this rookie weapons manager surprised her staff by firing a gun without warning on set. It is said that Nicolas Cage, who was the lead actor, got angry, saying, “I almost burst my eardrums because of you.” A staff member said, “He walked around the set with a loaded pistol stuck in his armpit, but the muzzle was pointed at people.”

An assistant director was also fired for a shooting accident on another film set. With 25 years of experience, he was adept at managing schedules to suit the needs of production companies, but his colleagues reported that he often skipped safety rules and procedures.

Police officers are collecting evidence on the set of a wooden church where a live ammunition was fired during filming and a crew member was killed. AP Newsis

As Baldwin was handed over to trial in this case, the American film industry is in great turmoil. The film and TV workers’ union released a statement saying, “Hutchins’ death is a tragedy that could have been prevented, but the actor did not commit a crime. Actors are not weapons experts.” A famous action actor also joined in. “We are not Jason Bourne. An actor is an artist who is immersed in the character, not a security guard on set.”

However, the prosecution saw that Baldwin could not avoid responsibility either. He said that as the end user of the actor’s firearm, he was obliged to make sure it was safe, and he should not have pulled the trigger at a person. The prosecution’s indictment contains information that Baldwin did not participate in firearms safety training before filming and did not pay attention during safety training afterward, such as talking on the phone with his family.

There were also testimonies that there were two shooting accidents on the set five days before the incident. The prop manager pointed a gun at his feet and fired, and a few hours later, the stuntman accidentally fired his rifle again. Baldwin, who was also a filmmaker, sent out these signs that foreshadowed disaster.

Cinematographer Halina Hutchins on the set of ‘Archenemy’ in December 2019. Hutchins passed away in October 2021 when she was shot on the set of the movie ‘Rust’, leaving behind her 10-year-old son and husband. Ukrainian, she majored in journalism in Kiewu before moving to Los Angeles to study her filmography. AP Newsis

Voices accusing the production practice of sacrificing safety for cost reduction are also emerging as a result of this incident. It is not uncommon to hire newbies as arms managers at low prices and leave them with other tasks. In addition, there are no written gun control regulations, so you just learn over your shoulder on the set. Even if a safety accident occurs, staff are reluctant to step forward because they fear that they will be disadvantaged by the production company or that they will not be hired in the future. Some even say that the Hollywood set is close to “anarchy” when it comes to safety.

This incident, which occurred in the western United States in October 2021, does not seem to be different from the crushing disaster that occurred in Itaewon, Seoul a year later, and the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014. If you underestimate the dangers of everyday life and put off safety, a true story unfolds more brutal than any Western movie. It is still unknown how the gun Baldwin was holding was loaded with live ammunition, but perhaps it was the live ammunition itself that had been accumulating one after another.

Baldwin is kneeling in agony in a corner of the set after the cinematographer was killed by a gun he shot during filming. AP Newsis

Source: Donga

Mark

Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.