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I am really at a lost on this one.

Here’s a couple thoughts that come to mind.

1. If this had happened to Hannity, or Gutfeld or Dana Perino etc. Ole’ Alec would be harping on this 24/7. Our side feels very bad for the victim and Alec, but the left would never let anyone forget if it happened to our side... (yeah, “our side”)

2. How did this happen? The victim wasn’t even in the scene. Not even not the set. SO DID OLE’ ALEC JUST POINT THE GUN AT HER, FOR A JOKE AND PULLED THE TRIGGER?

3. How did the second person get injured? Did the bullet go through the victim then into him? OR...or did Ole’ Alec shoot him too?

4. Why is there nada coverage on this, other than to discuss the banning of guns on sets?

The explanation I heard (grain of salt), is that they were testing the setup for a shot where Baldwin fires the mean old gun while the camera is looking down the barrel; the person who was shot was looking either through the lens or very near the camera to see how the shot would look.

It was apparently very realistic.

There has been some mention in other places that before work on the film began, some of the cast/crew were plinking w/ that pistol that morning.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4007159/posts

This suggests to me that the problem is a bad case of negligence. Someone allowed the plinking ammo and the blank ammo to be together, or the weapon was not cleared after the plinking.
I would think live ammo would not be allowed on set, in the local “arms room,” or anywhere near it.
The weapon should have been take back to the ‘arms room’ and cleared after being used earlier, at the least.
The person who handed Baldwin the pistol and pronounced it ‘cold,’ safe to use on set, did not check it, nor did Baldwin. Everyone who handles it should check a weapon when it is received, and when passed on to another.

Firearms safety has gotten slack, it seems. Did the Duke, et al, allow such things on their sets? Ever?

As I understand it, they were rehearsing a scene where Mr. Baldwin's character would shoot directly at the camera. The cinematographer was checking out how the shot (both meanings) would look. So yes, Mr. Baldwin was shooting directly at her. The bullet apparently passed through her abdomen, possibly glanced off her spine, and struck the other person standing near her. Given this is a western set in the 1880s, it was probably a 45 cal.

At least 3, possibly 4 people screwed up.

First, someone was using the firearm for "plinking" or target practice that morning off set. They apparently returned it to the set without clearing it. This may have been the armorer.

Second, the official armorer put it on the cart for use, without checking it.

Third, the assistant director picked it up and announced it was a "cold gun" without checking it.

Fourth, Mr. Baldwin accepted it from the assistant director, again, without checking it.

One person making a mistake is, well, a mistake. We're humans, we make mistakes. That's why there are four basic firearm safety rules. You can generally violate one intentionally or accidentally and if you follow the others, still come out alright.

Two people making mistakes in conjunction is a hopefully very rare occurrence. But it can happen, even to the best of us.

However, when you get to three or four people making mistakes, the same basic mistakes, this isn't bad luck. This is institutionalized arrogance, ignorance, and negligence. This wasn't an accident. With the attitudes and carelessness apparent in the chain of events, this was predictable and inevitable.

Here’s what I took away from the story: There was a labor union dispute going on. That is why the set crew originally walked off, not because there were “safety concerns” though I’m sure that was part of their initial complaint and that was likely legitimate. The experienced (union) people were not around so replacement scabs were used.

They were upset about their replacement “scabs” and the incident was more than likely set up, playing off Mr Baldwin’s famed cluelessness and lack of vigilance. But try to blame the union. You won’t be able to! Haha! They picked the right stooge this time.

Don Jr at al are missing a golden opportunity to savage the union (that is, if they care about the end of Hollywood! and maybe they don’t) which has been a plague to DT and their family business and simply going after Mr Baldwin, who is an easy target.

That’s my take on what I have read on this forum (thank you, astute commenters!) and in other places.

Stop saying “What if this had happened to _____?” We all know the media game is rigged against us, and a lot of the time those you defend are still ok with them because they’re playing the game, too. People in the media wear kneepads. All of ‘em. #KillYourTV #AbortTheMedia (hi, nikos1121!) :)