Alec Baldwin Finally Charged Over Accidental Shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the deadly October 2021 shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to Santa Fe district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies.

Carmack-Altwies explained in her statement that in the event Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed are found guilty, the jury will also decide which count of involuntary manslaughter they are guilty of.

“The first charge can be referred to simply as involuntary manslaughter. For this charge to be proved there must be underlying negligence,” her statement read. “Under New Mexico law, involuntary manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony and is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.”

The second possible charge is involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act. This “requires proof that there was more than simple negligence involved in a death. This is also a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5000 fine.”

If found guilty of the second charge, a firearm enhancement would be added. This would make the crime punishable by a mandatory five years in jail.

Baldwin claims he never pulled the trigger, but an FBI forensic audit revealed that the gun could not have been fired without the trigger being pulled, ABC News reported. 

Despite these facts, Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, called the new charges a “miscarriage of justice.”

“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds,” Nikas told the New York Post. “We will fight these charges, and we will win.”

As Americans, we understand that each individual is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But without making a rush to judgment, one can reasonably ask: Why was Baldwin ever pointing a weapon — even one he didn’t think was loaded — at another individual?

The first rule of firearm safety is to always assume the gun is loaded and therefore never point it at someone. 

The Firearm Industry Trade Association posits this as its No. 1 rule.

“If everyone handled a firearm so carefully that the muzzle never pointed at something they didn’t intend to shoot, there would be virtually no firearms accidents. It’s as simple as that, and it’s up to you,” its website reads. 

So, as justice is pursued, here’s the firearm safety lesson Alec Baldwin — and all of us — should take from this tragedy: “Never point your gun at anything you do not intend to shoot.”

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