Period-piece replica pistols like the one in this instance are expensive. ($2000+) "If you have to ask, you can't afford one".
Can’t they buy other weapons to use for target practice?
There should not be any any such weapons on a set. The only weapons that should be allowed are ones specifically to be used for a scene. They should all be kept in a controlled storage area and only the Armorer or assistants should be allowed to access the storage area.
I assume the other live rounds shot were due to the target practice and they did not see any problem with that.
There are big problems with that.
Unless they had specific scenes that required live weapons fire at a target, there should have been absolutely no live ammunition anywhere on the set.
Regardless of that, it is the personal responsibility of the Armorer to maintain control of all weapons and all blank (or live) ammunition. Every weapon is supposed to be checked every time it is removed from or returned to a controlled storage area. Every time.
Every round fired must be accounted for. Every time.
Weapons are only checked out for use during scene production. They are checked in immediately after the scene is completed. Every time.
Firearms checked in are unloaded and cleared. Every time. Unused ammunition gets returned to controlled storage. Every time.
In the rare cases where live fire is required it is performed by a professional marksman. Actors should absolutely never be given a hot gun for any reason.
There is a theme song here. ("Every Time") It wasn't being followed.
Actors are pretending to shoot a bad guy. Pretending is what they do. It is their job. Most actors are not trained or even competent in using real firearms. The safety rules for movies are designed to allow the actors to do their job safely. Other professionals must do their jobs to insure that safety for everybody on the set. That is their job.
It is not quite the same as live fire range safety rules.
Actors are assumed to be chimpanzees and must be closely supervised around any weapons. The system is setup to do that. It is the responsibility of the producers to make sure that system is in place and enforced. The system works when it is used.
Wait a minute. Baldwin was the actor and the producer. I am getting a sense of what caused the problem here.
You can buy them on ebay for $100.
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