Posted on 10/22/2021 6:42:26 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
so a cap and ball blank load might be indistinguishable from a cap and ball live load externally?
Second rule: If you’re gonna pick up the weapon, don’t point it at anything you don’t intend to destroy.
Third rule: Know what’s behind your target.
In the case of these Hollywood morons, if you’re gonna break the rule, know the difference between a deadly round and a friggin blank.
You can’t fix stupid with politicians and Hollywood actors.
“It was unclear how many rounds were fired. Gutierrez removed a shell casing from the gun after the shooting, and she turned the weapon over to police when they arrived, the court records say.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alec-baldwin-shooting-cold-gun-court-records/
30-2-3. Manslaughter.
Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice.
A. Voluntary manslaughter consists of manslaughter committed upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion.
Whoever commits voluntary manslaughter is guilty of a third degree felony resulting in the death of a human being.
B. Involuntary manslaughter consists of manslaughter committed in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to felony, or in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death in an unlawful manner or without due caution and circumspection.
Whoever commits involuntary manslaughter is guilty of a fourth degree felony.
“A report from a Brit paper said it was a cap and ball, which would be correct for the period.”
According to IMDb, the movie was set in the 1880’s.
” ... negligent homicide ... “
B. Involuntary manslaughter (see my 44)
What sort of gun was this? Revolver is my guess. I could see a shot set up to get the actor firing into the camera to use as an insert in a gunfight sequence. The assist Director overseeing this, standing next to the camera would be in the line of fire. Safe if blanks were use. Very dramatic, very effective shot—unless real bullets were in the weapon.
What sort of gun was this? Revolver is my guess. I could see a shot set up to get the actor firing into the camera to use as an insert in a gunfight sequence. The assist Director overseeing this, standing next to the camera would be in the line of fire. Safe if blanks were use. Very dramatic, very effective shot—unless real bullets were in the weapon.
As you no doubt know, but for others, a black powder pistol almost guaranteed it was a single action requiring thumb cocking of the hammer before shooting.
Thus Alec had to cock the hammer, point the pistol at the female cinematographer and then pull the trigger...all deliberate actions. A noose would be period appropriate.
Cap and ball revolvers were common throughout the 1800s, they weren’t just thrown away.
The gun in question, however, has been identified as a cartridge revolver, likely an SAA.
“a black powder pistol”
Not likely.
“Cap and ball revolvers were common throughout the 1800s, they weren’t just thrown away.”
This was the 1880’s. Many were converted in the 1870’s with the introduction of rimfire and centerfire ammo. Not a popular gun in the 1880’s.
Put the guns on a cart and assistant director picked one up and brought it inside....So the firearms were left unattended???? Oh big no no there.
“So the firearms were left unattended”
Did the AD Check the gun before declaring it ‘cold’?
There are reports that the gun went off unexpectedly several times before the incident. That points to a mechanical defect, likely a worn or bad sear.
In that case, a possible chain of events would include the intent to load dummy rounds into the gun, so someone looking at the gun would see bullets, making it look realistic. However a live round, which looks like a dummy round, I believe, somehow got into the cylinder.
The actor points what he believes is a “cold” gun at the camera and pulls the hammer back, a threatening move that doesn’t require pulling the trigger, so it’s not necessary that he pull the trigger on this scenario (although he may have.) The sear slips, the hammer comes down on a live round while the gun is pointed at the camera.
The reason I suspect the intent was to load the gun with dummy rounds, rather than blanks, is that special care is taken with blank loaded guns, and actors are trained not to point a blank-loaded gun at anyone. Also with the intent to creat a realistic scenario, bringing the hammer down on a dummy round does not create a realistic reaction by the actor to firing a gun.
In the event of the use of dummy rounds then the armorer or propmaster points the gun at the ground at pulls the trigger at least six times. That is standard set procedure for clearing a revolver. Another idea would be to make the casings of dummy rounds a different color so someone handling them would not mistake them for a live round. You can’t see the walls of the casings in a camera shot.
1880 was fifteen years after the civil war. I’m sure there were many guns that weren’t converted.
The fact that I own several testifies to that.
IMO no excuse. Sorry. If a blank it still should not have been shot at the DP and if supposedly empty, Baldwin should have readily checked that himself before discharging at the DP. Except no reason to aim at the DP even then.
In the movie, who was supposed to be shot with that gun?
The situation is a “perfect storm” of mistakes. Probably all of them can be traced back to the producer, i.e., Baldwin.
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