This is what doesn't make sense to me. Why can't they just add in the gun sound effect and the smoke later? It can't be that hard. We have entire movies made in CGI. There should never be the possibility that an actor could press a trigger and a projectile gets released in direction of a mother human being in 2021.
Last edited by GreenJesus; 2021-10-27 at 11:46 PM.
Because prop guns are demonstrably safe when the proper procedure is followed. Considering that the last prop gun death was nearly 30 years ago, I'd say that it's not the system that's at fault here.
I mean, it's not like Halyna was shot with a blank. That live round had no business being on the set, let alone loaded into the prop gun. Again, that's not a "mistake", that's criminal negligence, and has nothing to do with normal set procedure.
"The difference between stupidity
and genius is that genius has its limits."
--Alexandre Dumas-fils
But...that's why they are demonstrably safe and why the last incident like this was three decades ago. There's far, far more risk in stunts and driving than there is with the use of guns on set, because you can control fewer risks throughout those stunts compared to being able to control that a prop gun is never loaded with live ammunition.
It's almost like you stopped reading halfway through:
Again, demonstrably, those procedures are followed with very few exceptions, hence the nearly 30-year gap between prop gun deaths. And, again, this wasn't simply "an accident", this was criminal negligence.
You ignoring the reasons doesn't mean they don't exist. You ignoring the safety record in the industry doesn't mean it's hazardous.
With very, very few exceptions, there is zero reason to have live ammunition on set. That alone would have prevented this tragedy. Anything else is unwarranted hyper-extensive knee-jerking.
"The difference between stupidity
and genius is that genius has its limits."
--Alexandre Dumas-fils
Nah, it's more than "somewhat safe".
Lee was killed because a live round was used in the same gun earlier. That should never happen. Hexum was killed because he put the gun up to his temple and pulled the trigger. A blank is capable of causing some injury if it's discharged at near point-blank range, but it's only able to kill if you do pretty much what Hexum did. The guy was literally playing Russian roulette with blanks. I'm pretty sure the protocols frown on that, too. I'd also wager that the protocols have become much more thorough in the 37 years since.
Yup, it's always good to exercise an abundance of caution with firearms. That still doesn't undermine the fact that the industry has an overall excellent safety record.
No, they really can't.
"The difference between stupidity
and genius is that genius has its limits."
--Alexandre Dumas-fils
That's not at all what it's like. What a horrible comparison.
In Russian roulette, when you play according to the rules, there's an extremely significant chance of death. With prop guns, when you use them according to the rules, there's basically zero chance of death. Of the now three deaths in the last 35 years, all of them were instances of people grossly failing to abide by the rules.
"The difference between stupidity
and genius is that genius has its limits."
--Alexandre Dumas-fils
In the same sense that cars aren't safe, and why we have a lot of safety regulations regarding their legal use.
Doesn't mean we freak the fuck out and try and ban private car ownership because there was an accident one time with a single negligent driver (not Baldwin, in this metaphor, though it's breaking down here).
Recap:
Wheeeeee, watch those goalposts fly!
Whether they're dangerous without the protocols is a beside the point. The protocols make them safe.
You know, like walking across the street. Driving a car. Swimming in the ocean. There are rules there to protect you. Except those things are arguably more dangerous, because even when you follow the rules, you might still get hurt.
"The difference between stupidity
and genius is that genius has its limits."
--Alexandre Dumas-fils