Ever since the fatal shooting on the set of Rust, Alec Baldwin has been hyper active on social media and in the press. That has led to some truly baffling statements, including his most recent, declaring that police should be on film and television sets if they use guns—fake or otherwise.
The Daily Beast reports that Baldwin tweeted, “Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor the weapons safely.”
Currently, Baldwin’s tweets are protected, meaning the public can’t access them, but the responses on social media were seen before this barrier was put up on his account.
There are those who have some guesses that Baldwin’s pro-cop capitulation might have been an olive branch to the political right, which has been dragging him on social media ever since the shooting. Even as I looked at the responses I could see to Baldwin’s tweets, there is a loud side on the right making statements like:
“If Mel Gibson had shot and killed someone while making movie do you think the media would be as kind as they have been to Alec Baldwin?”
And there were many comparing Baldwin to Kyle Rittenhouse who is current on trial for murder, saying things like:
Kyle Rittenhouse: Tries to render medical aid and has to shoot 2 white male thugs in self defense.
The Left: “MURDERER”
Alec Baldwin: Shoots 2 people, one a woman who he kills for no good reason.
The Left: “It was just an accident. He didn’t even mean to kill anyone.
As a producer on his project and the person wielding the gun at the time, Alec Baldwin absolutely deserves to be held accountable for the work environment that led to this. Several cast members have talked about walking off the set because of that environment. Not to mention, according to the Times, “the film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, told a detective investigating the case that he should have checked the gun more thoroughly before Mr. Baldwin handled it.”
This was a set dealing with systemic failures.
That would not be fixed with police officers on set. This is part of a larger issue about how we treat crew and other qualified members of the film and television unions, forcing them to work long hours for low pay, and figuring out ways to worm around properly compensating them.
Not to mention, not every cop is a gun expert. We’ve literally seen cops mistake the weight of their taser for the weight of their gun. David Simon, the creator of The Wire, tweeted out: “Having reported on police in my first career, I can assure everyone that the average cop is no more a totem of gun safety than a trained film armorer. The real issue here is that whoever is responsible is empowered and heeded and already existing protocols are followed. ”
Dumb. Having reported on police in my first career, I can assure everyone that the average cop is no more a totem of gun safety than a trained film armorer. The real issue here is that whoever is responsible is empowered and heeded and already existing protocols are followed. https://t.co/76txJsjACm
— David Simon (@AoDespair) November 8, 2021
Secondarily, producers should at this point give serious consideration to eschewing working weapons and blank rounds in most of the work. CGI technology is at a point when muzzle flashes and cordite smoke can be replicated in post-production processes.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) November 8, 2021
Simon is correct, and at this point, what Baldwin needs to do is turn off social media and get some help emotionally and mentally, because what he’s going through following this can not be helped by being on Twitter. As the investigation continues, he will certainly need those systems in place—especially if he is found at fault.
(via The Daily Beast, image: Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for National Geographic)
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