SAG-AFTRA defends Alec Baldwin after new Rust shooting indictment

The union argues that it's not an actor's job to be the on-set firearms expert

By Sam Barsanti  |  January 25, 2024 | 7:00pm
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SAG-AFTRA defends Alec Baldwin after new Rust shooting indictment
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Last week, a grand jury in New Mexico indicted Alec Baldwin on one count of involuntary manslaughter over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust in 2021. Baldwin, who has maintained throughout all of this that he did not pull the trigger even thought he was holding the gun, was charged in connection to the shooting last year, but charges were dropped a few months later with the understanding that they could be refiled following further investigation into the prop gun.

Now, actors union SAG-AFTRA has released a statement defending Alec Baldwin, noting that it shouldn’t be his job on set to know if a firearm is safe to be used. “An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use,” the union said (via Variety). SAG-AFTRA also noted that the movie industry has specific “qualified professionals” who are supposed to “oversee their use and handling in every aspect.”

The statement goes on to say that, while actors are given “training and guidance” on firearm use (Baldwin says he was trained not to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger), the “careful supervision and control of the professional armorer and the employer.”

Rust’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, will go on trial for her own charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering, having been accused of mistakenly loading a live round into Baldwin’s gun. As Variety notes, prosecutors will have to prove “criminal negligence” in both cases, which goes beyond carelessness and requires “reckless, wanton, or willful” behavior.

SAG-AFTRA’s full statement can be seen below.

To the extent that the charges filed on January 19 are based on an accusation of negligent use of a firearm predicated on this or any actor having a duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use, that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set.

An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.

The Industry Standards for safety with firearms and use of blank ammunition are clearly laid out in Safety Bulletin 1, provided by the Joint Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Commission. The guidelines require an experienced, qualified armorer to be put in charge of all handling, use, and safekeeping of firearms on set. These duties include “inspecting the firearm and barrel before and after every firing sequence,” and “checking all firearms before each use.”

The guidelines do not make it the performer’s responsibility to check any firearm. Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use. The industry assigns that responsibility to qualified professionals who oversee their use and handling in every aspect. Anyone issued a firearm on set must be given training and guidance in its safe handling and use, but all activity with firearms on a set must be under the careful supervision and control of the professional armorer and the employer.

 
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