Filmmakers, actors want safer on-set gun rules after Baldwin shooting

Filmmakers, actors want safer on-set gun rules after Baldwin shooting

Filmmakers and actors want safer gun rules on movie sets in the wake of an accidentally deadly prop gun shooting by Alec Baldwin, sources said Friday.

Directors should hire special gun experts to oversee safety during movie making along with requiring more hands-on weapons training beforehand, prop experts and actors told The Post.

“When something this tragic happens, there has to be change,” said Jack Mulcahy III, an actor who starred in “The Brothers McMullen” and has worked with guns on set.

Mulcahy, 67 — who played the role of a husband who shot himself in the head in the 2008 thriller “iMurders” — said a firearm consulting position on set should be created to ensure nobody gets hurt.

“It’s like what’s been done with intimacy coordinators [in sex scenes], we should hire a gun expert to keep people safe,” he said. 

“I’m sure there will be negotiations to help ensure the safety of the cast and crew going forward.”

Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (right of Baldwin) and injured director Joel Souza.
Halyna Hutchins/Instagram

Currently, unionized prop masters must get an entertainment firearm permit to have blank-fire guns on set. They are often also in charge of checking that guns are loaded with blanks, not real bullets, prop workers said.

“There should be a number of people on-set checking,” said one prop assistant, who has worked on a big-budget Hollywood thriller. “If it were me, I would also have the actor check.”

Prop masters must also take a gun safety course and transport the weapon to the set in a locked box, he said.

An experienced prop master or armorer should be able to easily tell the difference between a live round and a bank round, filmmakers said.

Actor Jack Mulcahy III said that film sets should hire gun experts to help keep people safe.
Actor Jack Mulcahy III said that film sets should hire gun experts to help keep people safe.
KAMC

But hands-on gun training courses and shorter work days would also help curb deadly gun mistakes, the prop assistant said.

“If you’re going into your Friday and someone has already worked 60 hours, you’re setting them up to make mistakes,” he said. “Everyone would be safer on set if we worked shorter days.”

He called the incident with Alec Baldwin — in which the actor fatally shot one person and wounded another on the set of the upcoming movie “Rust”  —  a heartbreaking tragedy for the industry.

Police at the set of "Rust" in Sante Fe, New Mexico after the accidental shooting.
Police at the set of “Rust” in Sante Fe, New Mexico after the accidental shooting.
KAMC

“It’s a punch in the gut,” he said.

Kevin Williams, who worked in the prop industry in LA for 20 years, said it was “hard to say” if the Baldwin shooting will result in more gun regulation.

“In California, we have laws in place where you have to have a firearms permit to even rent firearms props… you simply need to pass a background check,” Williams said. “If anything, that could be improved upon.”

“There’s a lot of checks and balances in place. For something like this to happen it’s a really, really rare circumstance,” he said.