Posted on 11/06/2021 8:25:19 PM PDT by conservative98
Blank ammunition has a distinctive look: a crimped or wadded tip instead of a bullet. But dummy rounds are supposed to be stand-ins for real bullets, inert but identical or nearly identical.
"You know, it's the most concerning thing to me when I'm on set because they are intentionally made to look identical to a live round," Bryan Carpenter, a longtime armorer whose recent work includes USA Network’s "Queen of the South," told Fox News Digital.
Depending on the manufacturing process, some have a hole in the casing. High-end dummies don’t, according to Carpenter.
Santa Fe deputies said they recovered a mix of blank rounds, dummies and real bullets from the set after the accidental shooting.
"You have to go through and just be ultra, mega careful with these things — because they look identical," Carpenter stressed.
He told Fox News Digital that the practical way to be sure a round is a dummy and not real is to shake it and listen for the distinct sound of B.B.s rattling inside.
"The only way to actually identify if a round is a dummy round or not is to physically have it in your hand and physically shake it," he said. "That's it. Period. I mean, there's literally no other way to do it."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Her ultimate responsibility as the armorer was to make sure that a “cold” gun was “cold.”
One job.
_______________________
The Armorer was not on the set during this “Tech Prep” where Alec shot the cinematographer. This was not a rehearsal. There was no reason for Alec to even be there with a gun. The event took place where Cameras were prepping and positioning. Alec was all alone and grabbed the gun with no real purpose. HE IS GUILTY of involuntary manslaughter.
I rest my case your Honor! ..../s
I think I see the distinction this guy is trying to make now. “Dummies” are non-firing cartridges that are made to look real. They are not blanks in any sense. I don’t think he made that clear. “Dummies” would be inert “blanks” would not. Perhaps “dummies” do have BBs in them for the purpose of making them identifiable.
Still, why would there ever be any live rounds on any movie set? They would have no legitimate purpose.
I know he’ll probably never spend a day in jail, but Please, Please, please let this incident ruin Alex Baldwin financially, emotionally, and professionally.
Thank you. No further requests at this time.
Fox News writers used the word inert.
The expert armorer said you have to listen for the SOUND of B.Bs rattling, not to say that there were actual B.Bs inside.
I am not an expert on this so correct where it is wrong.
So the ‘i know nothing’ defense?
Is that for Alec, the AD, or the Girl?
Please see #23.
I can see it for rounds that might end up on camera, but otherwise? I guess the bottom line is to adhere to firearm safety rules. If that happens, even a negligent discharge shouldn’t kill someone.
Baldwin has changed my mind on gun control. I now believe we should ban all guns found in possession of idiot liberals since they clearly don’t know the first thing about them. If it will save one cinematographer, it will be worth it.
They are not talking about blanks, they are talking about dummy rounds. Those are two different things.
The WSJ reported that the prop company that made the dummy rounds inserted a “pellet” into the case where powder would be on a live round, specifically so you could shake the cartridge and tell it was inert. Maybe it was a pellet, maybe a BB. Given the quality of journalism, there’s no way to be sure.
This appears to be done to avoid having to drill a hole in the side of the case which would be a visual cue that would serve the same purpose.
See #23.
The way you check dummy rounds is simple. Point the gun at the ground, away from any people, and in a safe direction. Dry-fire every chamber and add a couple of clicks for good measure.
That is the best practice. If possible, that is done so the actor can observe
Had that been done the live round would have been discovered before someone was shat.
A young girl, thrilled to be in show business, working for reputedly the meanest man in the industry, others such as Hall much older and with years of experience and you expect her to set rules and kick asses?
Get real. Baldwin does as he pleases and little girls can’t manage a guy like that.
As for someone planting a live round, a thought: .45 colt ammo is extremely hard to get today. You can bet that the cops are canvassing gun stores within miles in all directions to find out who managed to buy some.
But whether that turns up an evil person or not, she has said that she shook each and checked them thoroughly. None of us were there to say that we saw any different.
Even if she screwed up she is not the one who handed the gun to Baldwin and told him it was cold nor did she pull the trigger.
The first thing you do when anyone hands you a gun is you clear it and carefully inspect whether it is loaded and with what.
Just this week, a neighbor who is a very good friend and who knows I am very careful with firearms had a pistol he wanted to show me. He retrieved it, dropped the mag, racked the slide to eject the cartridge in the breech and then handed it to me.
Standard procedure.
Hall should have done that with Baldwin and if not, Baldwin should have.
I carry three different types of ammo in my revolvers according to where I am going and for what. I check mine daily to be sure they are loaded with what I might need on that day.
In other words, don’t trust anyone. I don’t even trust me.
There are different types of dummy rounds. Some have holes drilled in the sides. Some are missing primers, or have dimpled primers. Some have rubber primers. Some dummy rounds look exactly like real rounds, but most of those are oversized and can't be loaded, and they are used in gun belts, etc
I don't know about dummy rounds that contain BBs, but this article describes those. I'd think those might rattle during the filming, so might not be useful in certain cases.
That works if they’re going to add flash and sound in post-production. That might be more expensive than the flash that blanks would provide. Not sure how much CGI would be budgeted for a low-end western. I heard $5K for ammo, so...?
One more comment.
I just read, I think in the Daily Mail, that Baldwin said the accident happened when he was practicing his cross draw.
That is very odd because it really is not normal to cock the hammer and pull the trigger when practicing the draw.
If you are dry firing, drawing and dry firing in one motion makes sense. Odd to me that one would be practicing the draw under the circumstances. Safety demands that dry firing be practiced in a safe area with no one in the immediate area.
He is digging his hole deeper. His lawyer needs to put a muzzle on him.
Duct tape might be better.
There are lots of possibilities. The scene could have call him just to point the gun at the camera and cock the hammer, or pull the trigger and cut right before the flash. Or, pull the trigger and add CGI.
Since this event I’ve been watching carefully shows where they have shootings, and watch how they frame and cut it. It’s interesting.
CGI for things like gun flashes is cheap and easy.
The SAA requires the hammer to be pulled back manually, it’s a separate action from pulling the trigger.
If the trigger is pulled before the hammer comes back, the hammer won’t lock. That is how “fanning” a single action is done.
Yes
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