SAG-AFTRA released a statement on Thursday defending Alec Baldwin against his involuntary manslaughter charges on Rust’s set. According to this statement, actors are not responsible for handling weapons since they are meant to be performers, not firearm experts.
When he was first charged in 2023, the union stepped into his defense, claiming that the prosecutors had little to no foundation for their case. They asserted that the prosecutor’s “wrong and uninformed” charges were allegedly based on the notion that “an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set.” According to the Labor Management Safety Commission, codified standards require “an experienced, qualified armorer to be put in charge of all handling, use, and safekeeping of firearms on set.”
During the shooting of Rust, armorer Hannah Guttierrez Reed allegedly loaded Baldwin’s gun with a live round on accident. When Baldwin pointed it during a rehearsal, it fired and hit director Joel Souza and Halyna Hutchins. While the former was only wounded, Hutchins’ injuries were fatal, causing her death.
As a result, both Baldwin and Guttierrez Reed have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, with the latter’s trial starting next month with an additional separate charge for evidence tampering. In a police interview, Guttierrez Reed admitted that she had not received formal weapons and armory training. None of the call sheets allegedly had industry-wide safety bulletins attached to them.
Throughout his indictment, Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, claiming that he was trained to “never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger.” However, many forensics teams have countered this statement with tests that indicate that Baldwin had to have allegedly pulled the trigger to fire the weapon.
Either way, the prosecution must show that the incident was caused by “reckless, wanton, or willful” behavior, not just carelessness. Prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis have considered this and have focused on alleged management issues on the set alongside the misfire incident. There is no response from the prosecution regarding SAG-AFTRA nor any theories they plan on proposing during the trial.
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