Questions about gun safety on film and television sets are resurfacing after the dismissal Friday of involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin.
Baldwin was on trial for his role in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the low-budget film "Rust."
The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this year.
To learn more about safety protocols in Hawaiʻi's film industry, The Conversation sat down with Tui Scanlan and Irish Barber of IATSE Local 665, the Hawaiʻi chapter of the union that represents crew members in the entertainment industry.
"In the film industry, the props assistant that's assigned to weapons handling is given the title of armorer and the responsibility. It's very lengthy to become one. You have to have months of certification, licensing, and then, of course, you have to sign for the weapons," said Barber, the business representative for IATSE Local 665.
"The weapons that are rented from the prop house come through HPD (Honolulu Police Department) and are cleared through HPD policy, and they never leave the site or care of the armorer. So the armorer takes great pride and responsibility in securing the weapons for filming and also for the handling of the weapons," she added.
Scanlan, the president of IATSE Local 665, said live ammunition is allowed on set only under strict and specific circumstances.
"The only time that a live ammunition firing should occur is at the range under supervision of a trained professional or peace officers. It's either there for the production of an actual gunshot for the sound department, for audio, or for actor training and for safety training," Scanlan said.
"Ultimately, the firearm itself is the armorer's responsibility, but a safe set is everyone's responsibility, especially those in leadership," he added.
Barber said the industry safety bulletins have been revised as a matter of public policy after the "Rust" shooting, not because there was something wrong with the existing protocol.
This interview aired on The Conversation on July 15, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
