Alec Baldwin to be charged with involuntary manslaughter

They're reporting that Alec Baldwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Maybe he SHOULD have assumed that the prop revolver he was handed was loaded. What do I know.

Both Baldwin and the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Assistant director David Halls will plead guilty to Negligent Use of a Deadly Weapon.

I thought John Landis should have been put away for murdering three people, two of them small children, on the set of The Twilight Zone, so I may be horribly wrong to be on Alec Baldwin's side here, but it's hard to imagine an actor being handed a prop gun and asking, "Say, this isn't loaded with live ammunition, is it?"

 

SAG-AFTRA came to Baldwin's defense:

“The prosecutor’s contention that an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set is wrong and uninformed. An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Firearms are provided for their use under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.  In addition, the employer is always responsible for providing a safe work environment at all times, including hiring and supervising the work of professionals trained in weapons. 

“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 handlin​g 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.” 

It would have been so safe and easy and more pleasant for everyone involved to add muzzle flashes digitally. It's not like the movie would have been that good anyway.