Suggested host intro:
By all, we all know that actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed his cinematographer during the shooting of the Western “Rust.”
But what we don’t know is why on earth would the Rust crew take a prop gun, load it with real bullets for target practice off set?
A prop gun is just that: a firearm to shoot blanks to make a loud for cinematic effect but is time it had a fatal impact.
Our guest is Bill Frady, a firearms expert and host of Lock N Load on The OPS Channel.
Q&A:
- Do the rules for gun handling differ for use on a gun range versus a movie set? If so, how?
Answer: Film production sets are much regulated in terms of who is handling guns. Basically, set up as a chain of custody accounting, with the armorer being the only one that hands a gun to a actor. Naturally the armorer is also the only one to touch the gun after the scene and the gun is given back.
- Is this the first time an actor was killed on a movie set?
Answer: No. The current cinematic rules and regulations were put in place after Brandon Lee was killed on set in 1993. But prior to that there were self-inflicted injuries with guns during film production including: Peter Fonda shot himself in the stomach, Curley Howard of The Three Stooges shot himself in the foot, and actress Jennifer O’Neal shot herself in the stomach.
- Why was there no gun handler or armorer on hand?
Answer: Apparently the Union help had walked off set due other safety violations.
- Why was there live ammo present and mixed in with prop guns?
Answer: Live ammo has no role whatsoever on a movie set. Depending on the gun supplier, often times real guns are adapted to only fire blanks. I can only surmise that this was a real gun, and according to some sources, in the news Alec Baldwin procured the live ammo from a local source.
5. Reuters reported that Alec Baldwin’s Crew may have used a Prop Gun with Real Bullets for Target Practice Off Set—of all things. Is this wise or smart or even typical?
Answer: Most productions will seek out trained professionals to coach their actors on gun use, handling, and tactics. As an example, Taran Butler at Taran Tactical Innovations trained Keanu Reeves to be John Wick.
They then sent the TTI Combat Master that John Wick carried to Gary Tuers at Extreme Props ands Weapons Rentals to adapt the gun and to be the armorer.
6. In what world is it OK to aim and pull the trigger on a weapon at someone not attacking you?
Answer: Anyone with an ounce of common sense would not take a gun from any source without checking its status. I would assume that Mr Baldwin knew that he was being handed a gun by a someone
not an armorer. Then to point a weapon at someone and pull the trigger on a gun? One of the safety rules in gun handling is to not put the sights on anything you are not willing to destroy. By the way 1st one
Is treat every gun like it is loaded.
7. It’s rare for one person to be shot in real life during a film production, but this time two people were shot, the cinematographer who died, and the director who survived. Were both these people killed with a single bullet? If so, is a common occurrence?
Answer: That is referred to as over penetration. Most Modern self-defense ammo is some sort of hollow point that is designed to both dump all the kinetic energy on the target and stay in the target. I am going to presume this gun, since it was in a western, was a single action revolver. Probably a heavy caliber. Without knowing the load, anything I say is conjecture, but even the common 9mm ball Ammo is considered an over penetration risk. If the round only encounters soft tissue, it may continue with enough energy to remain lethal.
8. You are host of the TV show Lock N Load with Bill Frady. Tell us about your program and where we may watch it.
Answer: Lock N Load may be viewed at OpinionsChannel.com/ or Airy TV at A-I-R-Y dot TV.
CONTACT: Celinda Hawkins (432) 349-2736 cemison@gmail.com
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