HOLLYWOOD IS FILLED WITH CHILDREN: THEY NEED GUIDANCE AND A SCRIPT
Each day, thousands of individuals, singly or in groups, safely store, maintain, handle, load, and shoot firearms.
They know and honor the basic safety rules:
(1) Treat every weapon as if it is loaded.
(2) Keep your finger off the trigger until you want to shoot.
(3) Never aim at anything you do not wish to kill or destroy.
(4) Know your surroundings and what is behind the target
(5) Know your weapon and the correct ammunition to use.
(6) Never accept the word of another person, verify for yourself.
(7) Verify the gun is in proper working order with no barrel obstructions.
(8) Never load a weapon unless you intend to immediately use it.
(9) Know how to handle misfires.
(10) If you are unsure about anything, ask for help while pointing the weapon toward a safe area.
(11) Never handle a weapon when intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
(12) Always use safety equipment when necessary to preserve eyesight, hearing, and bodily safety and comfort.
(13) The unwritten rule – never handle a weapon when angry.
Alec Baldwin, stupid is as stupid does…
Huh? What a schmuck!
The role of on-set weapon safety is left to the property master or armorer, double-checked by the first assistant director, and verified by the actor handling the gun. The idea that Hollywood productions should hire police officers to inspect on-set firearms on all film and television sets that use guns is insane. Perhaps, it would be more beneficial to demand that production companies hire qualified individuals and verify their work history. The well-trained armorer likely has more experience with a variety of firearms than does the average police officer.
A better idea…
Demand all actors, directors, armorers, and their assistants to be credentialed by taking an NRA-approved gun safety course (including target practice) with an on-set refresher before they can handle firearms on a set. And union-sponsored safety courses would also be required.
Bottom line…
The Rust shooting was not an accident, nor was it a misfire; it was the result of the unintentional consequences of culpable negligence on the part of the producer, the director, the first assistant director, the armorer, the prop-master, and the actor. The degree of responsibility is yet to be determined. For those who complain that including the director in the list is “blaming the victim,” I would point out that the overall demeanor on a set is determined by the director and their assistants -- and reaffirmed by the department heads. By all accounts, the Rust set was a lax set prone to taking cost-saving shortcuts. Like the commander of a vessel, the director bears the ultimate responsibility.
Someone brought live rounds onto a closed set. This, in and of itself, is another charge for culpable negligence. If done intentionally to sabotage the production, that is a form of murder.
As for Baldwin, he should be directing his comments to his union, not the Twitterverse.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS