Alec Baldwin fired the prop gun on the set of Rust on Oct. 21 near Sante Fe, New Mexico, that contained a "live round." Abaca Press

Alec Baldwin calls for police officers to 'monitor weapons safely' on every film or TV set

Alec Baldwin has made his Twitter private in the aftermath of the Rust tragedy that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured, but he believes so much in this particular message that he shared it to his public Instagram.

"Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by production, to specifically monitor weapons safely," Baldwin wrote.

Baldwin fired the prop gun on the set of Rust on Oct. 21 near Sante Fe, New Mexico, that contained a "live round."

An affidavit detailed the sequence of events, as relayed by Variety the following week:

"Souza, who was also injured in the on-set accident, said that the cast and crew had been assured that Baldwin was handling a 'cold gun,' meaning it had no live rounds. Safety protocols on the set required that the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, checked to make sure that the barrel was empty, with her work double-checked by Rust assistant director Dave Halls before the firearm was handed to the actors. Souza and Hutchins were standing behind the camera to see the angle. Baldwin was sitting on a wooden pew facing south towards the camera and crew, outfitted in Western garb. After noticing a shadow, Souza and Hutchins repositioned their gear and were talking with Baldwin, who was showing them how he planned to pull the gun from his holster when it discharged."


Also the following week, a report from People included an unnamed insider saying that there were "a lot of red flags" in reference to safety and how Gutierrez-Reed handled the weapons.

Gutierrez-Reed spoke out Oct. 29 through her attorneys. The statement, in part, claimed she "has no idea where the live rounds came from" and placed blame on "the whole production set" as it "became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings" (h/t People).

There have been no charges filed, as an investigation by The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office is ongoing.

Hutchins, 42, was survived by her husband, Matthew, and nine-year-old son, Andros.

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