About a month ago, actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun while filming the movie Rust, killing one crew member and injuring another. Some say that Baldwin should be held responsible, while others say that this incident is not his fault. 

Multiple crew members were responsible for confirming that the prop gun did not pose any danger to the people on the set of the movie. The prop gun was clearly not examined correctly, as it ended up going off. Many disagreements are occurring about who to pursue with a lawsuit. Two Shaker students, who will be referred to as Student 1 and Student 2 (they requested to remain anonymous), were interviewed about their opinions of the situation.

I believe that Alec Baldwin should not be held responsible for this incident because it was not his job to inspect the gun; he only touched the gun after being told that it was safe.

Some people disagree with this and think that Baldwin should be held at least partially responsible. Student 1 said that even though it wasn’t his job, Baldwin “could have checked the gun before handling it.” While this is true, most actors never examine the props given to them because the props are supposed to be safe before they’re brought onto the set. Even if Baldwin had checked out the gun before using it in the scene, it would still be difficult for him to distinguish live rounds from blanks, as he is not a gun expert. Student 1 also said that the person responsible for inspecting the gun should be charged, but Baldwin should be charged as well, because “he’s the one who actually fired the shot.” However, the gun would have posed no danger in the first place if it had been properly examined, therefore Baldwin is not at fault.

Alec Baldwin should not be charged at all in connection to this incident. Student 2 stated that Baldwin is not responsible for the shooting because “he’s just an actor.” It’s not up to the actors to determine whether or not props pose a danger to anybody on set, experts are meant to control this. Additionally, when the film’s armorer gave Baldwin the gun, she shouted “cold gun!” which means that the weapon poses no danger. It’s to show that the armorer has properly inspected the gun and has determined that it is safe to use as a prop. This statement by the armorer gave Baldwin no reason to believe the gun was loaded with anything other than blanks. Live rounds were put in the gun at some point before the gun was given to Baldwin, so he is not directly responsible for the shooting. Student 2 said that Baldwin should not face charges, and instead, the film’s armorer should. If the armorer had done her job, then the shooting would not have occurred. However, the armorer claims that there were blanks in the gun when she inspected it, meaning somebody switched the blanks for live rounds before Baldwin was given the gun. An investigation should be conducted and the person who made the switch should be criminally charged.

There are different sides to this issue: some believe Baldwin should be held responsible, others believe he should not be. I’m on the side that believes in his innocence. Multiple people are at fault for this terrible incident, however, Alec Baldwin is not one of those people. It was not his job to inspect the gun. The armorer of the film set is at fault, and whoever put the live rounds into the gun is at fault. Baldwin is not responsible for the shooting.