Police should be stationed on film sets, suggests actor Alec Baldwin

Police officers be stationed on all film productions where guns are being used, Alec Baldwin suggested on Monday, weeks after he fatally shot a crew member in a tragic on-set accident in New Mexico.

The US actor and producer fired a Colt .45 he had been told was safe on the set of Rust striking and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. “Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety,” Baldwin tweeted.

A police investigation into the tragic incident is in progress, with prosecutors refusing to rule out criminal charges against anyone, including Baldwin.

Ahead of a rehearsal involving a shooting scene, Baldwin had been handed a firearm and told it was a “cold gun” — industry speak for a prop that was deemed cleared and safe to use.

Baldwin has described the “incidental accident” as a “one in a trillion episode”. Calls have grown since the incident for better control of weapons on Hollywood sets, and Baldwin previously said the effort was “something I am extremely interested in”.

Originally published in Dawn, November 9th, 2021