An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. “To the extent that the charges filed on January 19 are based on an accusation of negligent use of a firearm predicated on this or any actor having a duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use, that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set. The set of "Rust" in the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., on Oct. NBC News has reached out to Baldwin's attorneys for comment.įollowing the actor's indictment in January, SAG-AFTRA the union representing over 150,000 actors issued a statement slamming the prosecutor's decision to re-charge him. You learn these rules and go into the classes you learn these rules if you’ve ever owned a gun, rule number one, never point a firearm at somebody unless you intend to shoot it." You will hear that Hollywood actors are not allowed to point guns, real guns at other actors or crew. "The first event that had to happen is the actor Alec Baldwin pointed a gun on that set and he either had his finger on the trigger and the hammer cocked or he pulled the trigger, as he was pointing that at Ms. You will hear testimony that she routinely left guns and ammunition lying around the set unattended and her gun safe and ammo cart were constantly disorganized."īut Gutierrez-Reed's attorney Jason Bowles hit back at that theory, saying that Hutchins' death was a result of Baldwin's failure to comply with film set safety regulations. Lewis said they plan to call several witnesses during the two-week trial, who will "describe the defendant's conduct as unprofessional and sloppy. "We believe that it was the negligent acts and failures of the defendant. New Mexico special prosecutor Jason Lewis said in his opening statement that Hutchins' death was a result of Gutierrez-Reed's "sloppy" handling of the weapons on the set and that she failed to check the gun appropriately before bringing it to the film's set that day. She faces up to three years in jail if convicted on both counts. Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was responsible for the weapons on the set of the Western film, which starred Baldwin. Although Baldwin maintains he did not pull the trigger, the gun fired a bullet. The case centers on how a live round of ammunition found its way onto the film’s set and into the gun held by Baldwin.