Alec Baldwin Fatally Shoots Crew Member With Prop Firearm, Authorities Say

[ZiprHead]

The movie’s director of photography was killed and the director was injured on the set of “Rust,” a Western, a sheriff’s office in New Mexico said.

Few details as of this time.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Oh, the conspiracy nuts are going to go into overdrive....

 

[ideologyhunter]

Unbelievable. Just plain crazy. Who didn't know that blanks can kill, after that 20-something actor killed himself on the set of Cover Up, in the 80s??? Also, how did this result in a death AND a wounding? There's something here I can't picture. Obviously a lot more will come out.

 

[ZiprHead]

One report says there was a live round in the gun and the shot was a straight shoot down the barrel and into the camera. The cinematographer probably had her eye directly into the eyepiece of the camera so took a straight shot to the face. The director was probably very close and took shrapnel from the camera exploding. All conjecture so far.

I can firmly say this was a mistake by the armourer and the safety officer.

I've also heard there are photos of Baldwin crying.

 

[thebeave]

One report says there was a live round in the gun and the shot was a straight shoot down the barrel and into the camera. The cinematographer probably had her eye directly into the eyepiece of the camera so took a straight shot to the face. The director was probably very close and took shrapnel from the camera exploding. All conjecture so far.

I can firmly say this was a mistake by the armourer and the safety officer.

I've also heard there are photos of Baldwin crying.

I don't care for Alec Baldwin as a person, but that said, this is a terrible burden he has to carry now and I feel bad for him (as well as the victims, of course). I heard about the live round. How the fuck does a live round even make it on to a movie set in the first place? I'm begining to think there is something nefarious going on.

 

[Thomas II]

One report says there was a live round in the gun and the shot was a straight shoot down the barrel and into the camera. The cinematographer probably had her eye directly into the eyepiece of the camera so took a straight shot to the face. The director was probably very close and took shrapnel from the camera exploding. All conjecture so far.

I can firmly say this was a mistake by the armourer and the safety officer.

I've also heard there are photos of Baldwin crying.

So sorry for the victim and her family and for Alec and his family...

 

[ideologyhunter]

If it was a live round, that makes more sense than what I pictured at first. Isn't this the way Brandon Lee died? You'd think this just couldn't happen again. There needs to be some good, inclusive rethinking of safety protocols.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I wonder if the actor is also responsible for checking the gun or one trained individual does it for them. Should be both.
Could be a live round from a ‘shooting at bottles scene’ or some such. Just watched this in Old Henry. Pretty good flick by the way.

 

[Bronzeage]

If it was a live round, that makes more sense than what I pictured at first. Isn't this the way Brandon Lee died? You'd think this just couldn't happen again. There needs to be some good, inclusive rethinking of safety protocols.

Brandon Lee died because of incompetence on a criminal level. Someone working on the set tried to "make a blank" from a live cartridge. He attempted to pull the bullet from the shell, but only cut the bullet in half. The damaged cartridge was then fired. Since the seal had been damaged, there was not enough pressure to fire the bullet fragment the full length of the barrel and it jammed in the barrel. When the shooting scene was filmed, a true blank cartridge drove the bullet fragment out and fatally injured Lee.

It was a case of every possible safety procedure being neglected or ignored.

 

[Playball40]

Unbelievable. Just plain crazy. Who didn't know that blanks can kill, after that 20-something actor killed himself on the set of Cover Up, in the 80s??? Also, how did this result in a death AND a wounding? There's something here I can't picture. Obviously a lot more will come out.

Jon-Erik Hexum
Brandon Lee

 

[ZiprHead]

I wonder if the actor is also responsible for checking the gun or one trained individual does it for them. Should be both.
Could be a live round from a ‘shooting at bottles scene’ or some such. Just watched this in Old Henry. Pretty good flick by the way.

One report I saw said that AB said "I've never been given a live gun on a movie set in my life."

 

[masterpeastheater]

Why the fuck are prop guns still a thing? With CGI having come as far as it has? I am not a fan of CGI in general but it sure beats dead crew members.

 

[TV and credit cards]

The Los Angeles Times and Deadline Hollywood cited several members of the crew and others close to the production as saying six or seven camera operators had walked off the "Rust" set hours before the tragedy.

Both outlets also reported that there had been at least one previous misfire with the prop gun.

"We cited everything from lack of payment for three weeks, taking our hotels away despite asking for them in our deals, lack of Covid safety, and on top of that, poor gun safety! Poor on-set safety period!" one camera crew member wrote on a private Facebook page, according to Deadline.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/alec-baldwin-fired-prop-gun-that-killed-crew-member-movie-set-authorities-2021-10-22/

 

[ZiprHead]

The Los Angeles Times and Deadline Hollywood cited several members of the crew and others close to the production as saying six or seven camera operators had walked off the "Rust" set hours before the tragedy.

Both outlets also reported that there had been at least one previous misfire with the prop gun.

"We cited everything from lack of payment for three weeks, taking our hotels away despite asking for them in our deals, lack of Covid safety, and on top of that, poor gun safety! Poor on-set safety period!" one camera crew member wrote on a private Facebook page, according to Deadline.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/alec-baldwin-fired-prop-gun-that-killed-crew-member-movie-set-authorities-2021-10-22/

As I understand it, the actual union crew including the union armourer were out on strike. The crew used were scabs.

 

[TSwizzle]

This could have been a script for Columbo.

 

[thebeave]

This could have been a script for Columbo.

There actually was an episode (Fade in to Murder) where the murderer is an actor (William Shatner) and he uses a borrowed prop gun to kill a studio employee, but not in the course of filming.

Oh, one more thing. Mr. Chekov from Star Trek is also in this episode.

 

[Toni]

One report says there was a live round in the gun and the shot was a straight shoot down the barrel and into the camera. The cinematographer probably had her eye directly into the eyepiece of the camera so took a straight shot to the face. The director was probably very close and took shrapnel from the camera exploding. All conjecture so far.

I can firmly say this was a mistake by the armourer and the safety officer.

I've also heard there are photos of Baldwin crying.

I don't care for Alec Baldwin as a person, but that said, this is a terrible burden he has to carry now and I feel bad for him (as well as the victims, of course). I heard about the live round. How the fuck does a live round even make it on to a movie set in the first place? I'm begining to think there is something nefarious going on.

Pretty much the same here.

It is only the most gross incompetence that would ever allow a live round on set. Ever.

I was raised very very very much that you NEVER point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot/kill. No matter how empty you know it to be. Ever.

How horrible for the director to lose her life, as well as the other person and their families and loved ones and how traumatic for everyone on set. And for Baldwin? I can’t even imagine.

 

[Ford]

One report says there was a live round in the gun and the shot was a straight shoot down the barrel and into the camera. The cinematographer probably had her eye directly into the eyepiece of the camera so took a straight shot to the face. The director was probably very close and took shrapnel from the camera exploding. All conjecture so far.

I can firmly say this was a mistake by the armourer and the safety officer.

I've also heard there are photos of Baldwin crying.

I don't care for Alec Baldwin as a person, but that said, this is a terrible burden he has to carry now and I feel bad for him (as well as the victims, of course). I heard about the live round. How the fuck does a live round even make it on to a movie set in the first place? I'm begining to think there is something nefarious going on.

Pretty much the same here.

It is only the most gross incompetence that would ever allow a live round on set. Ever.

I was raised very very very much that you NEVER point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot/kill. No matter how empty you know it to be. Ever.

How horrible for the director to lose her life, as well as the other person and their families and loved ones and how traumatic for everyone on set. And for Baldwin? I can’t even imagine.

I was raised with the same attitude towards firearms. My father even sent me to a hunter's safety course where we were all taught to never, ever, ever point a firearm even in the general direction of anywhere a human being might be. And yeah, how in the hell did a live round get into a gun on a movie set? That weapon should have been checked, re-checked, and then set aside where only the prop master/armorer was allowed to touch it, then checked again before it was handed over to anyone.

I don't even want to imagine what Baldwin is going through right now. He killed a co-worker and (I'm presuming) friend with a firearm he'd been told was "cold." And on top of that, right wingers and gun nuts are practically celebrating what happened.

 

[Tigers!]

After reading the thread and news reports and thinking about it can someone answer the question - what possible reason is there for a prop gun to ever have a live round?

 

[crazyfingers]

After reading the thread and news reports and thinking about it can someone answer the question - what possible reason is there for a prop gun to ever have a live round?

Ya. Never. And CGI can create a gun. The acting can be done with water pistols and Nurf guns.

 

[thebeave]

After reading the thread and news reports and thinking about it can someone answer the question - what possible reason is there for a prop gun to ever have a live round?

Yeah, my understanding is they typically use blanks in the gun and squibs on the targets to simulate a bullet hit. So, no need for live bullets. Though, I could see some situations where it might be easier and cheaper to bring in a marksman with a real gun and ammo and have him do some shooting (not on live targets of course) as a shortcut to setting up a shit ton of squibs. What happened here makes no sense at all.

 

[TSwizzle]

This could have been a script for Columbo.

There actually was an episode (Fade in to Murder) where the murderer is an actor (William Shatner) and he uses a borrowed prop gun to kill a studio employee, but not in the course of filming.

Oh, one more thing. Mr. Chekov from Star Trek is also in this episode.

I vaguely remember Shatner being in a Columbo episode. I occasionally watch Columbo reruns so I’ll watch out for this episode. Peter Falk’s wife also makes an appearance in this episode.

 

[thebeave]

It seems the armorer on set was a little on the inexperienced side:

https://nypost.com/2021/10/23/rust-...-reed-once-gave-unchecked-gun-to-child-actor/

Last month, Guitierrez- Reed said on a podcast that she was “nervous” about her abilities as an armorer while she was working on “The Old Way” — her first experience as head armorer.

“You know, I was really nervous about it at first, and I almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure if I was ready … but, doing it, like, it went really smoothly,” she said last month on the Voices of the West podcast.

A reader's comment I saw on another article mentioned that she and some other crew members were doing target practice off set earlier in the week (day?) using that same gun with live ammo. Haven't yet found anything to confirm that, but its the only thing I've heard that sounds even remotely plausible to explain what happened.

 

[TV and credit cards]

It seems the armorer on set was a little on the inexperienced side:

https://nypost.com/2021/10/23/rust-...-reed-once-gave-unchecked-gun-to-child-actor/



A reader's comment I saw on another article mentioned that she and some other crew members were doing target practice off set earlier in the week (day?) using that same gun with live ammo. Haven't yet found anything to confirm that, but its the only thing I've heard that sounds even remotely plausible to explain what happened.

Doesn’t speak well of armorer father Thell Reed. Did you bother to train daughter at all? It does speak to the nepotism that likely got Hannah her job.
When I think of all the qualified range masters in the navy who upon leaving would be a much better fit for such a position. Inexcusable.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Shaping the narrative is underway. Some good info in this AP article. Looks like they are setting up Assistant Director Dave Halls to be the fall guy on this. Negative comments about him. Positive ones about Baldwin.
The article does make one think about all the dangerous stuff performed for the sake of making movies.
Here’s another that speaks to that:
Fatal and serious injuries.

 

[DBT]

Poor safety standards, inexperienced armorer, crew using handguns for target practice using live ammo after hours caused a tragedy. Live ammo has no place on the set.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This makes me remember a scene from the third (?) season of 24, when Jack Bauer finally shoots the CTU mole. The scene looked awful as it went from closeup looking up toward Bauer, to a further away filming when he fires. I recall some people, like me, complaining about how anti-climatic the scene was because of that, but I recall someone raising an issue like this regarding the hazard of shooting it otherwise.

I'm full of useless information like this.

 

[TSwizzle]

It is unbelievable that a anyone who is handed a gun would not check to see if it was loaded.

 

[none]

Yeah, on a movie site.. unbelievable... it's policy
And who sets policy.... the employer... in accordance to the law.. so 1099 everyone

 

[DBT]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

 

[none]

The director.. his name, he disagrees and he has the power

 

[TSwizzle]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

 

[none]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

hmm.that requires training and you know where that goes... straight into the shitter...

 

[DBT]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

 

[TSwizzle]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

 

[none]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

wanna make a movie?

 

[Shadowy Man]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

That might seem like a sensible protective measure to take and isn't really that large an inconvenience to protect yourself and those around you, but given the extremely low probability that someone actually dies of a gunshot on a movie set can't you see why someone would forego such activity?

 

[ZiprHead]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

When the armorer gives the actor the gun the actor assumes the armorer did the job properly for the scene being shot.

 

[ZiprHead]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

A witness stated that AB exclaimed he had never been given a live gun on a movie set in his life. And he's done several movies where guns were used.

 

[thebeave]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

That might seem like a sensible protective measure to take and isn't really that large an inconvenience to protect yourself and those around you, but given the extremely low probability that someone actually dies of a gunshot on a movie set can't you see why someone would forego such activity?

Had it been a more safety oriented set, I would agree with this. But given that there were 2 or 3 accidental discharges during the week (I know...WTF??) , both the AD and AB should have at least done a dry fire into the ground. Which brings up another point...why did AB not raise hell about the earlier accidental discharges? That's outrageous to keep going on like nothing happened.

 

[TSwizzle]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

That might seem like a sensible protective measure to take and isn't really that large an inconvenience to protect yourself and those around you, but given the extremely low probability that someone actually dies of a gunshot on a movie set can't you see why someone would forego such activity?

No, not really. I guess it’s just me but if someone hands me a gun, I’m checking it.

 

[TSwizzle]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

When the armorer gives the actor the gun the actor assumes the armorer did the job properly for the scene being shot.

The armorer being an inexperienced 23 year old air head ? Yeah, I’m checking the gun for sure.

 

[Shadowy Man]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

That might seem like a sensible protective measure to take and isn't really that large an inconvenience to protect yourself and those around you, but given the extremely low probability that someone actually dies of a gunshot on a movie set can't you see why someone would forego such activity?

No, not really. I guess it’s just me but if someone hands me a gun, I’m checking it.

So, you do feel that taking small measures to protect yourself and especially those around you is a smart thing to do even when the probability of harm is vanishingly small?

 

[DBT]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

That might seem like a sensible protective measure to take and isn't really that large an inconvenience to protect yourself and those around you, but given the extremely low probability that someone actually dies of a gunshot on a movie set can't you see why someone would forego such activity?

No, not really. I guess it’s just me but if someone hands me a gun, I’m checking it.

Safety failures at every turn. Whoever hired an inexperienced armorer, the armorer, the crew using live ammo for target practice and the actor for not checking.

 

[none]

how many tests for blanks have to be performed?

 

[DBT]

Blanks are visibly different, crimped shells where the projectile is normally seated, but not if looking from the back, where you just see the base and primer in the revolver cylinder. They would need to be removed and checked.

 

[none]

err. who checks it after baldwin?

 

[TV and credit cards]

err. who checks it after baldwin?

Anyone receiving the weapon should be checking it and know how to check it. No one should be receiving the weapon who does not need to. Ideally the chain of custody would be armorer, Baldwin, armorer period

 

[none]

here's grenade it's live. here's a grenade it's cold.
now wtf are you gonna do?

 

[DBT]

There is no reason for having live ammo on a movie site.

Whether this is true or not, if you are handed a gun, even if it is a prop, you should still check if it's loaded. If you assume "well, no live ammo is allowed on set then I'm good, I don't need to check this lethal weapon for ammo" you are making a potentially fatal error as Baldwin did. Even if someone you trust hands you a gun saying it's not loaded, you check it anyway.

That's true, but actors are not necessarily trained in gun safety, their role involves pointing guns at other actors and pulling the trigger, which is why they hire an armorer to ensure gun safety. On this occasion there was failure on multiple fronts. The armorer should have insisted that actors check firearms as a final step.

I suppose but I personally would never assume that a gun was unloaded unless I checked it myself no matter who handed it to me. It just seems so obvious to me and I'm not a gun owner and have rarely touched guns. But I guess people get complacent and ignorance plays a role too. The whole set up was very shoddy by the sounds of it.

That might seem like a sensible protective measure to take and isn't really that large an inconvenience to protect yourself and those around you, but given the extremely low probability that someone actually dies of a gunshot on a movie set can't you see why someone would forego such activity?

No, not really. I guess it’s just me but if someone hands me a gun, I’m checking it.

So, you do feel that taking small measures to protect yourself and especially those around you is a smart thing to do even when the probability of harm is vanishingly small?

It is the smart thing to do.