Baldwin should not be charged for not checking the gun. Actors are NEVER supposed to do that; that duty always falls to the armorer and his/her team. If an actor does anything with the firearm that isn’t called for in the script, the armorer should immediately take the gun, recheck it, then hand it back - with instructions to simply follow the script. According to what we currently know, Baldwin wasn’t supposed to squeeze the trigger in this particular scene, but he obviously did. That will have to be answered.
It sounds the opposite of everything the average person is taught about firearms, but on a movie set that’s how it works. There is a clear chain of command for the handling of firearms on a set. The armorer will also have much to answer for.
His position as an actor does not change his responsibility under the law. My understanding is that, if you did not see the gun being checked itself, to protect yourself from liability, you need to do a run-check yourself.
He didn’t do that. All the conservative actors have said they themselves do their own gun checks, so he’s not free from obligations they themselves obey.