Bison Bud

Mainstream news sources are now reporting that Alex Baldwin has filed suits against the armorer and others on the set of "Rust" and is claiming that he is a victim and actually wants damages as well as to attempt to clear his name. I realize that he has settled out of court with the true victims family for an undisclosed amount, but I simply can't believe that over a year after the incident that no criminal charges have been filed on anyone. I frankly find the arrogance and elitism of this man to be astonishing! Wealth and fame should have nothing to do with the prosecution of any crime for any reason and in my eyes I think he feels like he should be able to get away with it, because of who he is and that he paid off the family of the victim!

While I don't know all the facts, but I do think that there are others that share in the responsibility for this accidental death, but that Alex Baldwin is and should be held most responsible, as he is the one that picked up the gun, pointed it at the victim, and pulled the trigger whether intentional or not. He is not a victim here and certainly does not deserve damages from anyone! In fact, he deserves to go to jail for these actions. While I do believe that this was an accident, this sort of wrongful death is virtually the very definition of "Involuntary Manslaughter" and should be prosecuted as such.

Alex claims that he didn't pull the trigger, yet the FBI has checked out the gun and stated that it would not fire without doing so. Being very familiar with these single action handguns, I would also like to state that it can not be fired without also cocking the hammer. This is a very intentional act involved in firing the handgun and it simply does not happen by accident! He also picked up the gun without checking if or how it was loaded and apparently without the armorer even being on the set, then for some reason pointed it at the victim and shot her dead. How can he possible blame someone else for these actions with no personal responsibility? While a good explanation of why live ammo was even on the set is needed and others bear some responsibility, Alex is the smoking gun so to speak and should not get away with it no matter how much he paid the family of the victim.

I would also like to note that Alex was apparently in charge of the whole production and even having guns on the set without the armorer present is a huge safety violation and he personally had a real responsibility to make sure the safety rules were followed and yet he personally violated them to the extreme and someone died because of it. In any case, Alex needs to be criminal charged and prosecuted for his blatant negligence and his lawsuits should be thrown out of court!

anotherview Loc: California

Well said. AB also failed to check the status of the gun once placed in his hands. This check flows from the concern for gun safety. Evidently, AB neglected to follow this basic gun safety practice. In any case, the gun in his hands discharged and k**led another. This undeniable fact governs in this matter.

In turn, deflection from the fundamental of gun safety by the action of a lawsuit cannot succeed in the light of day.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Neither one of the posters on this thread has a clue.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I agree! Baldwin should face charges. He's the suspect, not the victim of anything except stupidity. The production company should be fined also as there should be an ARMORER present when guns are available. The whole thing is bull!

wilpharm Loc: Oklahoma

TELL THAT TO THE DEAD WOMAN'S FAMILY, SCARED FRANK

wilpharm Loc: Oklahoma

anotherview Loc: California

I understand that AB functioned as producer of the film, "Rust." As such, he most likely bears legal responsibility for unsafe conditions on the set. We shall see how it goes.

Bison Bud

So what's your take on it?

wilpharm Loc: Oklahoma

dont hold your breath for intelligent response from franki

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

If you've ever worked on a movie set, and I have, you will see that the duties and responsibilities are strictly enforced.
In this case, the armorer was responsible for the safety of the firearm and he failed miserably.
Baldwin had no responsibility to check the armorer's call. In fact, the unions are so strong that it would have probably ended in a grievance being filed against Baldwin, had he checked the gun.
Baldwin has been on a lot of movie sets and he knows the rules. He was just complying with the contracts and norms that are n effect.

As a side note, please ignore any comments from Wilpharm. He's like a 10 watt lightbulb, Not too bright!

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I beg to differ. Safety rules don't change just because you are on a movie set. IMHO, they become even more important because of all the people around. Safety rules, and common sense, REQUIRE that when handed a gun, YOU personally check to see whether it's loaded or unloaded. PERIOD! That was taught to me by the Armourer of the Allentown Police Department, the gentleman that also taught me how to shoot properly. There are three rules of proper gun handling: !. A gun is always loaded; 2. Always point a gun in a safe direction and; 3 Know your target. ALL THREE were broken by Alex. Gun Safety is NOT subject to other (Union) rules.

wilpharm Loc: Oklahoma

what did you do on a movie set, charmin??? empty porta=potties???

anotherview Loc: California

Thanks for clarification from your experience.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

So I guess you would never have a scene in a movie where a gun is pointed at someone.
Good luck with that.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Are you really as uninformed as you seem to be?