this post was submitted on 25 May 2024
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I agree, but I will say that the armorer was exceptionally negligent. Like, seriously went above and beyond to be unsafe in her role and her handling of the weapons.
But even though she does bear some responsibility, ultimately it was Baldwin's fault. Not because he pulled the trigger, but because he was in charge of the conditions on set, was aware of all the safety concerns raised the crew, and he was responsible for keeping the completely unqualified armorer on the crew.
I am not willing to make that concession. Firearms are too simple to operate, and their risks too well known to argue that the person handling them can have zero responsibility for their operation.
If I pick up a knife on set, and I make no effort to verify its blade is dulled, or it's retractable blade functional, I am responsible if I cut or stab someone with that knife.
If I pick up a hammer on set and bash someone over the head with it, not bothering to check that it's a rubber hammer, I'm responsible for the injuries and damage I cause.
A gun is no different. If I haven't verified that the gun is non-functional, I'm responsible for whatever comes out of the barrel. People have been killed by blanks, either fired at closer range than they are safe, or behind projectiles stuck in barrels.
The industry safety standard is summarized in 4 redundant rules, intended to prevent the discharge, or, if that fails, to ensure that discharge does not cause injury or unacceptable damage. A handler violating any of these rules is negligent, but they have to violate all of them before someone gets hurt.
Yes, the movie industry does, indeed, allow us to violate safety rules. Many industries do this with all sorts of dangerous operations.
But, we can do this only when the safety measure provided by that rule is replaced with an equivalent protection. Baldwin broke all four rules, and did not replace any of them with an equivalent measure.
Baldwin didn't, yes, because he hired an incompetent armorer. In normal circumstances the armorer is the person doing everything you just said needed to be done.
A gun is different, it requires ammunition. If a gun is to fire a blank then the gun must be functional, the ammunition simply is designed to not fire a round that's meant to kill someone.
To expect every handler of a firearm to be knowledgeable enough about guns to safely unload, confirm what ammunition is in use, and then proceed accordingly when they also have to act and deal with what comes with that is insane. That's why there's a person whose professional job it is to do all of that and then tell the actor what can and cannot be done with the weapon.
Baldwin is guilty because he failed to employ a good armorer who could do their job. If it was a random actor not involved in the hiring process of the film then they'd be perfectly innocent in this situation, to think otherwise is straight up victim blaming.
Properly handling a firearm is not a job that can be outsourced. The armorer is also criminally responsible, but primary responsibility always falls on the person handling the weapon.
Rule #1: All guns are loaded until positively proven otherwise. The requirement of ammunition is presumed until proven otherwise.
FTFY. The standard of behavior when you do not positively know if a firearm is loaded or unloaded is Rule #1: All guns are loaded until positively proven otherwise.
The industry standard is that if your mind wanders while an unloaded gun is in your hand, that "unloaded" gun is to be treated as if it grew a cartridge while you weren't paying attention, and is to be treated as a loaded weapon until reverified.
No, Baldwin is civilly liable for that. He is guilty because he negligently discharged a firearm, resulting in the death of another person.
Safe handling cannot be outsourced to a "professional". The purpose of hiring an armorer is to add an additional layer of safety, not to replace the handling skills of the actor.
If you want to make it so that the actor is not responsible for his actions, you hire a specifically trained individual who is capable of performing those actions. In the business, this person is known as a "stunt double". You hire a stunt double to perform actions that the principal actor is not capable of performing. Baldwin's decision to perform the actions himself makes him responsible for the consequences of his performance.
If the actor (or double) performing those "stunts" is so inept that he kills someone in the process, he is criminally liable for his reckless behavior.
Baldwin is not a victim. He is a perpetrator. That another person's incompetence contributed to the death merely means there was an additional perpetrator. The armorer's incompetence does not absolve Baldwin's own incompetence.
Oh look, someone else with 0 clue what they're talking about posting a wall of text when:
Would have been much easier to write
Correct. You have no business discussing this topic.
Being on a film set is not an excuse for reckless behavior. If anything, it makes his actions more egregious, not less.
Stop being so willfully ignorant.
Shits done differently not unssfely
1 person getting shot vs the many who don't proves this is safe
Reducing the safety factor from "everyone is responsible for using multiple safety factors to prevent injury" to "one designated individual is responsible for everything that happens" is not "different". It's dangerous.
You would not tolerate this in any other circumstances. A random gun owner hires a designated safety officer to protect everyone in the area, then recklessly handles a gun and shoots someone. You wouldn't tolerate this exact same behavior from some random redneck; why does Baldwin get a pass?