During Wednesday's opening statements for Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial, attorneys debated the actor's level of responsibility when handling a firearm while filming the Western Rust.
Santa Fe prosecutor Erlinda Johnson described Baldwin as acting recklessly as he pointed a gun at a person and pulled the trigger. "When someone plays make believe with a real gun in a real-life work place, and while playing make believe with that gun violates the cardinal rules of firearm safety, people's lives are in danger and someone could be killed," Johnson told the jury.
If you've ever taken a firearms training course, you'll know the "cardinal rules" that she's referring to. They mean always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire. And treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
Baldwin's defense attorney, Alex Spiro, shifted the blame away from the actor. He argued at the time of the incident, gun safety was someone else's responsibility. Spiro described Baldwin's responsibilities as an actor to use a firearm "in ways that would be lethal in the real world, but are not lethal in a movie set."
"That's why the gun has to be safe before it gets into the actor's hands," Spiro said. "His mind is somewhere else, in the being of another, a century away, an outlaw. He must be able to take that weapon and use it as the person he's acting would, to wave it, to point it, to pull the trigger like actors do."
Alec Baldwin's 2021 shooting incident
In the October 2021 incident, the revolver Baldwin was holding discharged a live round, injuring director Joel Souza and killing 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. According to reports, Baldwin was practicing a cross draw, meaning drawing from the opposite side of his body, with a prop gun.
Following an investigation, the Santa Fe district attorney charged Baldwin and the set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with one count of involuntary manslaughter. They also charged assistant director David Halls with negligent use of a deadly weapon.
While Halls pleaded guilty to the charges, both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed entered not-guilty pleas. However, a jury found Gutierrez-Reed guilty of the charge in March and sentenced her to 18 months in prison.
Experts say Baldwin's trial will last approximately two weeks. If convicted, the 66-year-old actor could face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
