Alec Baldwin and Rust crew were accused of violating at least three key gun safety protocols in the movie industry before the shooting death of Halyna HUTCHINS.
Baldwin seems to have broken the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Workers rules against pointing a gun at any member of the cast or crew, unless absolutely necessary.
The rules of the alliance – which were last updated in April 2003 – warn that you should not point a firearm at anyone, even yourself. If you think it is necessary to do this on camera, contact the property master. Remember that any object to which you point a gun could be destroyed.
Guidance states that tive ammunition should never be carried onto a set. The document also warns that ‘BLANKS CANNOT KILL’
It goes on to say: “TREAT ALL FIREARMS THE SAME WAY THAT THEY ARE LOOADED.” “LIVE AMMUNITION” IS NEVER TO BE USED NOR BROUGHT ONTO ANY STUDIO LOT OR STAGE.’
According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, a live bullet was believed to have been loaded into the gun that resulted in Hutchins’ death, which occurred on October 21. They are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Recent claims suggest that the bullet believed to have killed Hutchins was deliberately loaded into the gun in an act of foul play.
According to the alliance guidelines, any weapons that are on-site must not be used in ‘horseplay.
According to reports, Halyna HUTCHINS, a 63 year-old actor, accidentally shot Halyna with the gun. Crew members used the gun to shoot at beer cans hours prior to the incident in a game called ‘plinking.
The union, which represents workers on sets of television shows and films, has issued a set of safety standards and rules that govern the use of guns. Those have been obtained by Fox Digital.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, a union representing workers on sets of TV shows, has issued a comprehensive set of safety standards and rules that govern the use of guns. ‘BLANKS CAN KOIL. ALL FIREARMS CAN BE LOADED. “LIVE ARMMUNITION” IS NOT TO BE USED OR BROUGHT ONTO ANY STUDIO STAGE. According to the guidelines
The guidelines also state that firearms shouldn’t be pointed at anyone except when absolutely necessary for filming
These guidelines warn against the use of blanks and against horseplay
According to documents, Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting of Halyna Utchins (left), a cinematographer on Rust could be avoided if Hollywood guidelines regarding the use of weapons had been followed.
IATSE had threatened a strike on Hollywood productions in the days preceding the tragedy.
Poor rates and overwork were two of the most common complaints.
Baldwin recorded a video of himself encouraging the union members to strike if they felt they needed to, saying studio bosses ‘don’t give a f**k about you’, that the union shared online.
Hutchins was fatally shot during rehearsals for the film’s October 21 shootout in Santa Fe. The film set was seen on the day following shooting. Law enforcement officials began an investigation.
Guns should also never be pointed at anyone ‘unless absolutely necessary to do so on camera,’ according to the guidance.
Those on the set must also never engage in any ‘horseplay’ with the firearm.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adam Mendoza stated last week to reporters, that Baldwin had loaded a live cartridge into his revolver during rehearsals of the Western on October 21.
Baldwin was holding the gun as it fired, and fired a bullet that killed Hutchins. It also wounded director Joel Souza.
According to investigators, David Halls, the assistant director, handed Baldwin the loaded .45 pistol during a scene rehearsal and told him it was ‘cold’ – meaning safe.
According to investigators, David Halls, the assistant director, handed Baldwin the loaded .45 pistol during a scene rehearsal and told him it was ‘cold’ – meaning safe
Halls was represented by Lisa Torraco, a lawyer who stated in a Fox News interview Monday night that her client was not responsible to verify the safety of the gun he handed to Alec Baldwin. She also refused to acknowledge that her client gave Alec Baldwin the gun.
Halls had, reportedly, declared it a “cold” weapon. This means that it was loaded only using blanks and not having checked all of the rounds in its gun barrel. Above, Alec Baldwin speaks on the phone in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in Santa Fe
Later, Halls told investigators that he didn’t know there was a live round inside.
The guidelines also stipulate that someone who is trained in firearm safety procedures should be present on the spot to assist actors and gun handlers.
Guidelines state that no firearm shall be issued to anyone unless they have been trained in safe handling, safe usage, and proper firing.
An insider who has knowledge of the set claims that several crew members had taken several prop guns to the incident to go “plinking” – a hobby where people shoot at beer cans using live ammunition to pass time.
The person, who spoke on condition anonymity to The Wrap, said that Baldwin had just fired one of the weapons and shot both Hutchins, and Souza, hours before the round of unannounced target practice.
The weapon was one of three prop guns Hannah Gutierrez Reed, a 24-year-old film armorer, had set up outside the location on a gray cart. It was located in the desert close to Santa Fe.
Reed’s attorneys suggested that a disgruntled crew member might have planted the live bullet that killed Hutchins within a box of prop ammunition to’sabotage Baldwin’s film.
Crew members claim that they were too tired and were denied rooms at hotels in the New Mexico area after the shooting.
Gutierrez Reed’s attorneys suggested that one of the crew members might have planted the live round on the set as revenge. This was during an interview with the Today Savannah Guthrie will be on Wednesday.
Sources on the set of Rust said the incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins could be tied to the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed
Robert Gorence (left) & Jason Bowles, representing Hannah Gutierrez Reed (right), appeared on Wednesday’s Today Show to discuss the fatal shooting.
Jason Bowles stated, “I believe that someone would do that, would wish to sabotage it, would want a point to prove a point and want to say that they’re disgruntled or unhappy.”
“And we know that people had already walked from the set the day prior… and the reason why they are unhappy is that they’re working 12-14 hour days, they don’t have hotel rooms in the area, so they had the to drive an hour to Albuquerque and they’re miserable.
Bowles said his client was unaware that any live bullets were loaded into the gun before the deadly October 21 shooting near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Gutierrez Reed is not a suspect in the Hutchins murder. However, she retained legal representation.
Bowles said that there was a package of dummy rounds in the box and that it was labeled “dummy”.[Gutierrez Reed]The handgun was loaded with rounds from the box, but she later discovered that there was a live round.
The armorer then handed the vintage Colt pistol to assistant director David Halls, who, in turn, passed it on to Baldwin and announced ‘cold gun,’ indicating that the weapon was safe to use, according to authorities investigating the deadly October 21 shooting near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Guthrie was told that Bowles said, ‘We’re assuming someone put the living round in that box.’ The purpose of the person who placed the live round in the box with dummy rounds was to sabotage the set. You would not do it for any other reason than to mix the live round with the dummy rounds.
Robert Gorence, Gutierrez Reed’s second attorney, said that while the Colt was locked away in a safe and the box of dummy ammo was in a truck, it was ‘completely undisturbed at all times, giving someone access to and opportunity.
Gorence also stated that the armorer had retrieved the gun from the box and loaded it with the rounds, but it was left unattended on the tray for two hours before the afternoon film shoot.
Gutierrez Reed’s lawyers said Gutierrez Reed was justified in her actions. They stated that the loaded firearm was not in her custody for the duration filming, as Gutierrez Reed was expected to perform two tasks on set: as an armourer and as a props assistant.
Bowels stated that Gutierrez Reed gave the gun she had loaded earlier, to Halls, after which she went about her other duties of a props assistant.
The lawyer informed her that Gutierrez Reed had spun the chamber to show Halls how it worked.
Lawyers said that Gutierrez Reed (pictured at home in Arizona) handed the loaded gun over to David Halls, assistant director. She spun the chamber to show David the rounds, but didn’t inspect them.
Bowles said that Bowles did the spinning of the cylinder. She did show him every round in the chamber, which had six.
He said, “The problem is that when you look at a round of dummy, and you look at their appearance, all of them have the same projectile tip. Some of these have no hole in the side. They look and behave like real rounds.
The legal team of the armorer admitted that she didn’t inspect the gun to make sure that it was not filled with live ammunition.
Gorence explained that Gutierrez Reed wasn’t present in the church during the shooting, as it was happening while cameras were being set up and not during filming.
The lawyer stated, “She wasn’t there.”
The attorneys representing the armorer stated that they are cooperating with the FBI investigation and hope to be able determine who planted the live rounds.
Gutierrez Reed’s attorneys said she is ‘absolutely devastated’
Bowles stated, ‘She is still very emotional about all that has happened.’ “Coming on the scene and seeing everything she saw, she was heartbroken and is just devastated by all that has happened.”
Meanwhile, ‘Rust’ camera assistant Lane Luper, who quit on the eve of the shooting, told Good Morning America that there were only two safety meetings on set and said production did not take gun safety seriously.
Rust thought it was the perfect storm: the armorer and assistant director, the culture on set, the rushing. He said that it was everything.
Luper claimed that Luper and his crew were exhausted from daily commutes to and from the set. He also cited poor gun safety as a reason for two accidental weapon discharges, and one accidental sound effects explosion.
Baldwin has remained silent on what happened on the set for ‘Rust.’ However, Baldwin shared a post on Tuesday from one crew member in which he criticized her coworkers’ portrayal of the set as chaotic and unsafe.
Baldwin released a public statement one day after Hutchins’s death. In it, he stated that he was cooperating and offered his condolences.
Halls’ attorney this week says it was not her client’s responsibility to confirm whether the weapon was safe to use or not – contradicting his previous admission that he should have checked the gun beforehand.
Luper Lane has criticized the film’s production as one that created the perfect storm for the tragic shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
Halyna Hutchins was killed when Alec Baldwin’s gun, which was to her left, went off from his hands. The gun was intended to only shoot blanks and not live ammunition.
‘He’s not responsible for checking it,’ declared Lisa Torraco, lawyer for Rust assistant director David Halls, in a televised interview with Fox News on Monday night.
“That’s not the job of the assistant director.”
Torraco explained to Martha MacCallum that he could check the firearm if he wanted to ensure that everyone is safe. But that is not his responsibility.
According to a Santa Fe County Sheriffs search warrant, Halls admitted to police that he should’ve checked all rounds in the prop gun before it was given Baldwin, the lead actor. He also accidentally shot two crew members.
Halls stated to investigators that he couldn’t remember if he had spun the drum before the October 21 fatal shooting.
One detective wrote that David advised the incident was not intentional.
Santa Fe police also heard from Souza that his assistant director was supposed inspect the gun before it was handed to Baldwin. However, Souza could not recall if this had actually been done.
The warrant stated that he advised that he should have checked all of them but didn’t.
Torraco claims that Halls was not required to check the gun because of his job as assistant director.
Torraco explained Monday night to MacCallum that expecting an assistant director or camera angle check to inspect a firearm was like asking the assistant director for sound or lighting checks.
Torraco also claimed that Halls didn’t handle the gun on the day of the incident, contradicting the accounts of the investigators in the affidavit.
Baldwin was not aware of the idea that Halls had to grab the gun from his client and hand it to him. After the interview, the attorney lied to the reporter about Monday’s interview. He then backedtracked and dodged questions about whether Halls actually handed the gun to Baldwin.
MacCallum then asked the attorney and asked her point-blank whether Halls ‘doesn’t know if Alec Baldwin was given the gun.’
Baldwin shared a screengrab (pictured) of a post written and posted by Terese M. Davis (costume designer) to his Instagram account Tuesday. The caption was: ‘Read this’
Davis’ post, several paragraphs in length, provided evidence against crew members making claims.
“The armorer brought it in,” Torraco replied, referring specifically to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (24), while avoiding MacCallum’s question about who gave the gun to Baldwin.
Torraco continued: “The armorer opens a firearm.”[Halls]It didn’t load.
Torraco’s televised spot was broadcast hours after her client had spoken out about the incident.
Monday’s statement addressed the shooting of October 21. Halls called Hutchins a ‘friend’ and asked for a’revaluation’ of the industry’s values.
Halls stated, ‘I’m shocked by her death.’ Halls stated, “I hope that this tragedy will cause the industry to reevaluate and reevaluate its values and practice to ensure that no one is hurt again through the creative process.”
“Halyna was not only one of the most talented people that I’ve ever worked with, but she was also a friend,” he said.
Despite his refusal to speak out, the assistant Director failed to address reports that Baldwin was the other person to handle the loaded gun prior the tragic accident.
The other two were armorer Gutierrez-Reed and prop master Sarah Zachry.
Torraco, however, stated Monday’s interview that she and her crew interviewed another crew member. She referred to this person as a “he” – the lawyer said that he checked the firearm before it was given to Baldwin.
Torraco didn’t provide any additional details about the identity or origin of the mystery crew member.
This revelation contradicts previous reports by investigators who had previously stated that only Halls and Baldwin, as well as Gutierrez-Reed, Zachry, handled the gun in hours prior to the shooting.
Torraco also said that she had spoken to some crew members working on the Santa Fe set at the time of the incident. They remembered Gutierrez-Reed, rather than Halls, handing Baldwin the weapon.
She added that others have seen Halls hand it to them after Gutierrez-Reed handed the weapon to them.
According to witnesses and other reports, Baldwin was given the gun by Halls.
MacCallum was however told by Torraco to that it ‘doesn’t really matter’, because it’s not the assistant director’s job to check the gun.
Baldwin shared a post on Tuesday from a Rust crewmate in which she criticized her coworkers’ portrayal of the set as chaotic and unsafe.
Baldwin shared a screenshot from Terese M. Davis’s Instagram post Tuesday with the caption, ‘Read this.
Davis wrote in her post, “I am so sick and tired of this narrative.” “I worked on this film. The story being spun of us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bull***t.’
After Baldwin accidentally shot and killed Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer, crew members began to speak out about the conditions on set.
Davis’ post refuted many complaints from crew members, including that they worked longer than 12 hours a day.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured) died on October 21 after Baldwin pointed and fired a Colt pistol at her during a scene
‘We never worked more than a 12.5 hour shoot day. Davis wrote that it was once.
‘Most days were under 12. After an 11 hour shoot day, we had completed a 12 hour turnaround on the day Halyna died. We had (including camera) gotten off by 6:30pm.’
She continued: ‘We had just had a 56 hour weekend right before that. No one was too tired for their jobs.
‘This is all provable by daily time sheets.’
A number of Rust crew members claimed that the production promised them hotel rooms in Santa Fe, New Mexico. However, they were later told that they would need to drive 50 miles from Albuquerque each morning instead.
Davis says that these claims are false.
‘The camera crew HAD hotels. They just didn’t feel they were fancy enough. They were just not safe. You can’t tell me that 6 big men felt so unsafe in their hotel but were fine sleeping in their cars in parking lots (which never happened) like they also claimed.’