Alec Baldwin Says He '1000 Percent' Feared for His Life After Trump Spoke Out About 'Rust' Shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin took a swipe at former President Donald Trump during a conversation about last year’s shooting on the set of his movie.

During an interview with CNN, Baldwin said, “The former president of the United States said [I] probably shot her on purpose. To me, that was the only time I was worried about what was going to happen,” as Variety reported.

He added, “Here was Trump, who instructed people to commit acts of violence, and he was pointing the finger at me and saying I was responsible for the death.”

Baldwin said he was “1000%” concerned that Trump supporters would attack him.

“A bunch of people were instructed by the former president to go to the Capitol, and they killed a law enforcement officer. They killed somebody. You don’t think I thought to myself, ‘Are some of those people going to come and kill me?’” Baldwin explained.

In November 2021, Trump suggested Baldwin purposely shot cinematographer Halyana Hutchins.

During Christ Stigall’s radio show, Trump said, “In my opinion, he had something to do with it, but if nothing else, how do you take a gun, whether it’s loaded or not loaded, how do you take a gun, point it at somebody that’s not even in the movie, and just point it at this person and pull the trigger, and now she’s dead.”

The truth here - perhaps unwelcome - is that the revolver in use on the set of “Rust” does have a less-than-enviable safety record.

The lockwork is identical to that on Sam Colt’s original revolving pistol of 1836, except for minor changes in shape of parts and metallurgy. The three hammer notches, the bolt, and the trigger are all tiny, delicate and notoriously prone to failure.

It is quite possible to cause such an arm to fire, by holding the trigger back while lifting the hammer and releasing it. This is what happens when the revolver is “fanned.”

And it isn’t at all unusual for the trigger to break, if the shooter’s thumb slips off the hammer during cocking. Or the “safety” notch and loading notch on the hammer can fail the same way. Whichever way that happens, the hammer falls all the way, slamming the firing pin (hammer nose) into the primer of any cartridge aligned.

And even if no parts fail, enough slop remains in the mechanism, and the metal is sufficiently springy, for the hammer to bounce forward far enough to drive the firing pin into the primer. It can happen if the shooter fumbles the hammer while cocking the revolver, or if it is dropped. Doesn’t have to land on the hammer.

All these drawbacks have been known for generations, giving rise to a gun-safety rule peculiar to such designs: load five chambers and place the empty chamber under the hammer.

And the problems also remind us of the importance of the fundamental gun-safety rules that apply to the handling any firearm.

Dozens of news stories have aired in the aftermath of the incident on the set of “Rust.” Experts uncounted have given their opinions on air and in print, but I cannot recall any mention of the mechanical quirks and safety limits of the revolver involved.

After instructing many neophytes in safe use of single-action revolvers, and repairing many single-action revolvers, my guess is that Alec Baldwin had been trained in all rules but forgot them. I confess to no great liking for him, but I have seen gun users of great experience and extraordinarily careful judgment make mistakes. It does indeed happen to the best - not often, fortunately.

Are not actors known for their egotism and flouting rules? Such behavior can only increase the likelihood that the whole business is Alec Baldwin’s fault and nobody else’s. Sloppiness and negligence, if not malice.

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