On the surface, that seems ridiculously light, although technically it is the armorer that had the “professional responsibility” and this guy may have just repeated what he was told by the (not so) professional. I’m guessing that was weighed in with the charges, and with him pleading guilty it resulted in far less for him than it could have been. The armorer plead not-guilty, and there isn’t much doubt that was the point of failure. She may be the one risking serious jail time if it goes all the way to trial and she doesn’t at least plead guilty to a slightly lesser charge. I would have liked to see Baldwin with some culpability, NOT for pulling the trigger but for essentially being the CEO of an unsafe working environment. There was enough evidence showing he “should have known” the armorer was not competent and unprofessional and outright dangerous things were going on with their prop guns.
To me, this is bull. If anyone besides a high-profile actor on a movie set points a gun at someone, pulls the trigger, kills one and wounds the other, and then claims ignorance on the status of the weapon, we would rightfully vilify that person. The legal system would not drop those charges.
that is why a movie set spends so much money to make sure that they are not personally responsible for handling and securing the props. Two people were hired for the sole purpose of making sure the props are safe. they should both serve time as neither did their one job.
It appears one of the factors in dropping the charges is that the prosecutors discovered the gun had been modified and it was possible to fire it without pulling the trigger… something Baldwin had claimed all along, and was ridiculed for…. “A source familiar with the case told CNN that the possibility of modifications to the firing mechanism of the gun was learned by the special prosecutors overseeing the case in New Mexico. The source said that the modifications to the gun used in the 2021 shooting on the set of “Rust” included the potential ability for the gun to discharge a bullet without the trigger being pulled – a claim which has been asserted by Baldwin, who referenced it in an interview with CNN last August.”
You cant separate the fact that this happened on a movie set — where professionals are supposed to ensure the safety and make it okay for actors to point guns at each other or the camera — from what would happen if a regular Joe did this at a Pizza Hut with his own gun ….
The case should not have been filed to begin with under the facts of the Baldwin situation. Dismissing the charge against him was simply correcting a prosecutorial error.
So the folks who gave me the disagree bacon give it a go shoot someone and call it a accident swear you were handed a cold firearm and see how that goes for you..
You may be right about John Q Public not getting away with shooting someone, but what does that have to do with this case? As others have pointed out, John Q Public was not paid to point and shoot.
This is the equivalent of watching a Deadly accident in NASCAR caused by a tire blow out, then proclaiming the drivers should be charged…. “You try driving your car 200 MPH down the road, kill someone, and see how that goes for you”.
I think it is disappointing for Baldwin to continue production of rust. Seems inappropriate to me. Once again money trumps good taste or in this case, tragedy.
Proper firearm handling transcends all this. You pull the trigger, you are responsible for the consequences. We will all just have to disagree on this point.
You say that without an understanding of the applicable law, just your notion of gun safety. The former is what controls in a criminal prosecution, not the later.