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Discussion » Questions » Current Events and News » Alec Baldwin shoots 2 people on the film set with a prop gun. Didn't we fix prop gun laws after the last accident?
my2cents

Alec Baldwin shoots 2 people on the film set with a prop gun. Didn't we fix prop gun laws after the last accident?

Props guns are supposed to be made in a way that they will not even accept a real shell. 

The people shot (one fatally, one injured) were not actors (crew member and director), why was the prop weapon even pointed at crew members? 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/22/alec-baldwin-fires-prop-gun-on-set-of-movie-killing-a-crew-member-and-injuring-director.html

Posted - October 22, 2021
Tags : None

Responses


  • 6023
    I haven't researched it, but I thought movies/TV used "prop guns" that were real guns loaded with blanks.
    Maybe ... MAYBE ... loaded with simunition (aka "paint bullets").


      October 22, 2021 8:00 AM MDT
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  • 34249
    I know they used to be but I thought after Brandon Lee was shot while filming The Crow, they changed things so it could never happen again. 

    In that prop guns:
    1. Could not even be loaded with a real shell.
    2. Prop guns would actually have the firing pin removed making it unable to even fire. 

    Maybe those were things they were just talking about implementing but did not actually do it. 
      October 22, 2021 8:10 AM MDT
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  • 19937

    "Hollywood adheres to Safety Bulletins, written and distributed by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee, for standards on weapon and prop safety, as well as other rules.

    In the first bulletin addressing firearms and the use of blank ammunition, the document notes prominently: "TREAT ALL FIREARMS AS THOUGH THEY ARE LOADED." It goes on to say live ammunition is to never be used nor brought onto a set.

    However, these are recommendations and not binding law."

    https://www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1048295916/props-gun-death-injuries-rust-movie-set-rare

      October 22, 2021 8:36 AM MDT
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  • 6023
    Do they count blanks as "live ammunition"?

    If so, I have to give a lot more credit to CGI artists for the artificial gunfire effects.

    I honestly thought they had someone whose job was to check out prop guns and ammunition, and make sure there weren't any live rounds (with bullets instead of blanks).
      October 22, 2021 8:58 AM MDT
    3

  • 34249
    They are supposed to have someone who job is the safety of weapons props. 

     


      October 22, 2021 9:04 AM MDT
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  • 19937
    From what I understand, blanks can kill, too.  I'm sure there is someone who is supposed to check to make sure there's no live ammunition in the weapons.  I guess we'll have to wait and see the results of the investigation before we know what really went wrong.  
      October 22, 2021 10:09 AM MDT
    1

  • 6023
    Yes, they can.  Though at a much shorter range than a bullet.  You almost have to be standing at the end of the gun.
    Generally, a blank just replaces the bullet with a paper or wax plug (to hold the gunpowder in).

    They may also reduce the amount of powder, but you need a certain amount of powder to cycle semi-auto or full-auto firearms.

    Considering the number of rounds fired in movies, and the number deaths/injuries ... it still seems safer than firearms in the hands of police.  
      October 22, 2021 10:26 AM MDT
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  • 19937
    There have been very few deaths on movie sets due to improper use of prop weapons.  
      October 22, 2021 10:28 AM MDT
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  • 6023
    Exactly.
    And they fire thousands of rounds more than police.
    A single movie probably fires more rounds than most police departments do in a decade.

    lol
      October 22, 2021 10:52 AM MDT
    2

  • 19937
    I just saw this on a piece on Facebook relating to the accident:

    "A source close to union said Local 44 does not know what projectile was in the gun and clarified that “live” is an industry term that refers to a gun being loaded with some material such as a blank ready for filming."
      October 22, 2021 3:38 PM MDT
    0

  • 34249
    Treating all weapons as if they are loaded is firearms safety 101 for any type firearm. (Real/prop/toy)

    Crazy, that there are not laws about live ammo and real guns on a movie set.  

    Normally, the props guns are not real.

    https://news.in-24.com/lifestyle/movies/157566.html
      October 22, 2021 9:02 AM MDT
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  • 2706
      Why was the prop gun even pointed at crew members? That was one of my first thoughts and questions. Hollywood is notorious for trying to cut corners and costs whenever possible. This incident could have very well been the outcome of such a move. The bottom line, someone didn't do their job and someone else paid for it with their life. Will anyone be directly held accountable for this? Your guess is as good as mine. Only time will tell. But I'm not holding my breath. I say this because even though the film crew of Brandon Lee's movie The Crow was responsible for his death, no direct charges were brought forth and the case was dismissed.
      October 23, 2021 11:55 AM MDT
    1

  • 34249
    There are some of the rumors floating around right now. 
    Horseplay with the prop guns. Union crew workers walked off job because of it.  And Baldwin & co used local workers to replace them. This post was edited by my2cents at October 23, 2021 11:02 PM MDT
      October 23, 2021 12:41 PM MDT
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  • 11102
    True to form Donald Trump Jr. and many other right wingers are using the accident to troll Baldwin. Baldwin probably feels horrible but yet he is being trolled and made to feel worse because of his feelings about Donald Trump. Cheers and happy weekend!
      October 23, 2021 3:26 PM MDT
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  • 34249
    Yes they are.  Happens on both sides. 
      October 23, 2021 3:41 PM MDT
    1