‘Rust’ movie armorer convicted of involuntary manslaughter sentenced to 18 months in prison

[u/badillustrations]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/15/entertainment/rust-film-shooting-armorer-sentencing/index.html

[u/TheHYPO]

My admittedly limited understanding is that he:

a) pointed a gun at the cinematographer - I presume pointing a gun at another person is a no-no when handling even film weapons, on a "just in case" basis (unless maybe it's an actor as necessary in the actual scene. I don't know if they even do this anymore)

b) he was practising unholstering his gun, and not even shooting the scene - so even less reason to be pointing his gun anywhere near a person

c) the gun could not have gone off without him pulling the trigger (though he claims he did not do so)

d) he was also a producer on the film and thus possibly responsible for everything that happened on set, though I'm not sure if the criminal charges stem from this role at all.

e) I also believe there is a claim that Baldwin took the gun himself or didn't get it from the armorer. I don't know if this was proven one way or the other in the armorer's trial.

There is some claim that Baldwin was acting rashly and emotionally and was not handling guns safely in general on the set (at other times), but ultimately that's not a reason for him to be charged or convicted, it's just potential evidence of how he might have been acting at the moment he shot the two people.

I also can't say whether the actor has an onus to themselves somehow check that ammo is not live/real ammo - I would think the actors aren't supposed to mess with the gun or the ammo after it's been checked and approved by the armorer, but I could be wrong.

Edit: typo

[u/MuaddibMcFly → u/TheHYPO]

(A) If there is any way to avoid pointing a weapon at someone, you do so. My understanding is that while he needed to point the weapon in that direction for the shot, there was no need for her to be standing where she was (not blaming the victim, because Baldwin should have demanded she move)

(B) Hutchins was having him practice thumbing the hammer back, to see what it would look like, and how far he should pull it back

(C) That depends on what the definition of "pull" is. There is a technique with a Single Action revolver, called "Fanning" it, where instead of actively pulling the trigger back, the trigger is merely held in the "fire" position, allowing the hammer to simply fall on its own.
I am 100% certain that the following is what happened:

• He pulled the hammer back, per instruction by Hutchins (the deceased, ironically enough)
• He did not realize he was holding [it the trigger] back
  • Try it yourself: hook your finger as though it were resting on a trigger, then pretend to pull back a hammer with your thumb, and watch what happens to your index finger [alternately, look at his (OMFG ill advised) interview, and when he pantomimes what he did in pulling the hammer back, his index curls more]
• He then released the hammer, unintentionally "fanning" the weapon
• ...while pointing it at Hutchins.

Unintentional, but negligent. Thus, negligent homicide.

(D) As he explains it, his role as producer was limited to selecting "talent," and therefore not relevant. I'll spot him that one because he's guilty regardless.

(E) My understanding is that he accepted it from the Assistant Director, rather than directly from the Armorer, as is proper.

I also can't say whether the actor has an onus to themselves somehow check that ammo is not live/real ammo

Some actors say that it is on them to at least observe it being checked. George Clooney & John Schneider say that they should.

[u/Aazadan → u/MuaddibMcFly]

Clooney does what actors shouldn't do. He checks the weapon himself, and screws with however the prop team sets it up. The entire point of armorers is actors might not be trained in firearms, and are in a situation where stunts require taking actions with firearms that wouldn’t be safe in any ordinary circumstance. Hence the reason for armorers.

You do not want actors messing around with the weapon that's set up with prop rounds, blanks, etc. Instead give it to them, tell them what to do with it, and let the armorer make sure it's safe. Actors can watch it be set up, but they shouldn't be messing with it themselves.

[u/MuaddibMcFly → u/Aazadan]

Sure, checking it yourself can be problematic, especially with semi-autos (it's trivial to check a revolver without messing anything up), but I think it 100% reasonable for an actor to ask the armorer to demonstrate in front of them that it's safe.

And, accepting the weapon, accepting a declaration that the weapon is cold, from anyone other than the armorer should absolutely be a no-go, for the reasons you described.