In the aftermath of a shooting on the “Rust” movie set, some are questioning the use of firearms in the film industry. 

On October 21, 2021, actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza while filming a movie in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

According to The New York Times, assistant director David Halls took one of three guns from a cart that armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had prepared.

 Halls indicated that the gun was safe to use and handed it to Baldwin for a scene rehearsal. 

Baldwin aimed the gun at a camera lens and fired, unaware that the gun contained live ammunition. 

Although live ammunition is not used on production sets, many individuals in the film industry have been killed or injured in accidents involving firearms.

According to The Associated Press, since 1990, 43 people have died on production sets in the United States, and more than 150 people have sustained life-altering injuries.

The “Rust” shooting has drawn connections to the accidental death of martial artist Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee, during “The Crow” filming in 1993.

Brandon Lee’s co-star, Michael Massee, fired a prop gun that contained a bullet fragment and fatally wounded Lee. 

Following Lee’s death, no criminal charges were made after investigators determined that the shooting was unintentional. 

Relatives of the late Brandon Lee said on Twitter, “Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust’.

 No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set.”

Investigators have not made any charges in Hutchins’ death, but Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer said the armorer loaded the gun with what she believed were dummy rounds. 

Lawyer Jason Bowles said, “We’re assuming somebody put the live round in that box, which if you think about that, the person who put the live round in the box of dummy rounds had to have the purpose of sabotaging this set.”

According to The Associated Press, the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee does not regulate gun safety on production sets. 

In an interview with Good Morning America, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said, “I think the most concerning thing is that there were so many levels of failures on that set.”

Public figures are calling for the entertainment industry to enforce stricter gun safety protocols, including the ban of live ammunition on production sets. 

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “My full expectation is that the film and television industry will, at the conclusion of the investigation into this tragic incident and once all the facts are in hand, bring forward comprehensive new safety protocols to ensure this kind of incident never, ever happens again.”

New York State Senator Kevin Thomas and California State Senator Dave Cortese individually proposed bills that would prohibit the use of live ammunition on production sets.

Thomas’ bill would also require all production staff to undergo firearm training. 

Thomas said, “I don’t want what happened on the ‘Rust’ set to happen here in New York, given that we are involved in a lot of production.”

A former American Film Institute classmate of Hutchins, Bandar Albuliwi, created a petition to ban live firearms on production sets and demand changes regarding crew working conditions. 

Actors such as Olivia Wilde, Lena Dunham, and Sarah Paulson have expressed support for the petition that has gained over 105,000 signatures. 

Although deaths and injuries are relatively infrequent on production sets, the possibility of these incidents still exists.

Perhaps this latest occurrence will be the catalyst to prompt new industry-wide rules regarding gun safety on production sets.