JimmyTB

As many have already said, treat all guns as if they're loaded. Ecobin makes a great point about using fake guns but even they should be treated as loaded. After all, if the gun handed to Baldwin had live ammo even though it wasn't supposed to be it is possible for a real gun to be mistaken for a prop gun. After the incident my wife and I both said anyone on the set of a movie or TV show involving guns should take a gun safety class. Back in my hunting days when you weren't actively hunting but maybe having coffee with a buddy, you would open the action and leave it open to be sure it was unloaded and even then the gun was ALWAYS pointed in a safe direction.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

He bears the responsibility for that person's death.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

If it's your job to do so.
Unless you wanted to sabotage or kill someone.

By the way, it's my job to check your car, I found no explosives,
go start it.......
You gonna trust me or check yourself?

DIRTY HARRY Loc: Hartland, Michigan

Is a fighter pilot responsible for checking his aaircraft's guns before going on a mission? Sometimes you have to rely on others to do their job properly.

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

It is always the responsibility of the person using the gun. Baldwin broke a lot of safety rules. Always check the gun before use. Never aim at anyone unless you intend to shoot them. In this case, it was only a practice draw prior to the shoot. He didn't need to pull the trigger. In any scene, it is never needed to point the gun at anyone. Just aim off to the side. I suspect that this incident will end use of actual guns on sets. With CGI, it isn't necessary.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Exactly!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Nope! The armorer who gave him the gun with the "blanks."

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Whoever decided that the prop weapon that was going to be used by actors, could also be used at the same location for recreational live fire exercises, is responsible.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The producer was trying to save money. The inexperienced armorer was also the prop master. Ordinarily, both the prop master and the armorer each check weapons. In this case, no one checked it. Saving money isn't always good.

Woodworm65 Loc: Lombard, IL

#1 rule never ever point a gun in the direction of anyone near you, #2 make sure that you as the gun handler know rule #1, #3 the person handling the gun (Alec Baldwin) in this case is responsible as well as the person who handed him the gun all of this could have been avoided if the rules were followed.

Bob Smith Loc: Banjarmasin

Bull

Woodworm65 Loc: Lombard, IL

Why would you say bull.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Everybody in the chain that handled it, anyone could have prevented the accident, nobody did the right thing and checked that the weapon was unloaded! Everybody should have!

anotherview Loc: California

Alec Baldwin, if charged in this accident, will employ first-class attorneys to defend him. They may look down that road whereby he effectively claims no responsibility because he reasonably relied on another regarding gun safety.

Yet, they would have to get around the plain fact that AB the shooter killed another with a firearm, whether accident or not. After all, with his own hand, AB pointed the gun and pulled its trigger. By commonsense if nothing else, AB operated the loaded gun -- aimed it and shot it.

So far, the evidence manifested in the news media indicates that AB did not check the gun to determine its status as a matter of gun safety. But he cannot rest his lapse of gun safety on the shoulders of another. The liability, if any, for an earlier lapse of gun safety lies with the individual who provided AB with the gun and did so without warning or otherwise cautioning AB of its status as loaded and dangerous. Of course, once he released the subject gun to AB, this individual lost control of it, thereby transferring the responsibility of gun safety to AB.

The attorneys will assemble the facts of this matter and under a legal theory will apply the law to these facts. AB cannot smell like a rose in this process. His defense may revolve around the absence of any intention on his part to shoot and kill another. This approach would garner AB a lesser guilt -- something like negligent homicide, meaning here death by accident.

We shall see how it goes.

Bison Bud

Geese, folks that can't even tell the difference in a blank round and real ammunition playing with guns has to be a problem at some point. Live rounds and real guns on a movie set are also a really bad idea, but the real problem here is that folks with no firearms instruction and/or experience are handling/playing with firearms not to mention most of them are "Anti-gunners" in the first place. Frankly, everyone should receive basic firearms instruction and I think it should be included in our schools for the sake of everyone's safety, but we all know that will never happen! Basic things like never pointing a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot, every firearm is treated as loaded even when you know that it's not, keeping your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and proper methods of loading and unloading should be basic knowledge for everyone if we want to prevent accidents like these.

Anyway, the ultimate responsibility for this accident would fall on Alex Baldwin since he was the one playing with the loaded gun. He broke all the basic rules, simply because someone told him the gun was "Cold!" He not only took their word for it without checking, but pointed the gun at another person and pulled the trigger. Yes, ultimately an accident, but still criminal negligence to say the least, since this shooting was entirely preventable using some common sense. Instead he was playing with a loaded gun and they weren't even filming at the time! Baldwin should be charged and ultimately convicted of at least involuntary manslaughter for his irresponsible actions. There are others that were also criminally negligent and they too should be charged, but the ultimate responsibility is his and being a celebrity or rich and famous should not give him a free pass! He should rather be made an example and have to pay dearly for this criminal offense!