'Firearm Safety Procedures Not Followed' On Rust Set Before Alec Baldwin Shooting

A report into the shooting on set of Alec Baldwin’s movie Rust, which left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead, has ruled that 'firearm safety procedures were not followed on set'.

The production company behind Rust has now received a fine, following the report. 

Forty-two-year-old Halyna was killed on set last October after a prop gun being held by Baldwin, 63, went off. 

Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said: "Our investigation found that this tragic incident never would have happened if Rust Movie Productions, LLC had followed national film industry standards for firearm safety.

"This is a complete failure of the employer to follow recognised national protocols that keep employees safe.

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"Employees should speak up about unsafe workplace conditions or report them anonymously to us."

Robert Genoway, chief of the New Mexico Environment Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, said: "As a reminder, it is illegal for any employer to retaliate against any employee who alleges a workplace safety violation."

New Mexico's Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB) said the company did not follow national guidelines, which include not bringing live ammunition into a studio, holding daily safety meetings and ensuring that staff ‘refrain from pointing a firearm at anyone’ unless they have consulted an onsite armourer or other safety representative.

The production company was given a $139,793 (£107,019) penalty.

The report follows a six-month investigation into the incident. 

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Speaking last December, Baldwin said the live bullet ‘wasn’t even supposed to be on the property’. 

In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, the 63-year-old claimed that he 'didn't pull the trigger'.

He told the host that the gun inexplicably went off after he picked it up.

Baldwin said: "I think back, I think, 'What could I have done?'.

"The trigger wasn't pulled, I didn't pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone at point a trigger at them, never."

Adding: "Someone put a live bullet in the gun – a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property."

Baldwin also spoke about Halyna in the interview, saying she was ‘loved by everyone’. 

He added: “She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by everyone who worked with – and admired.

"Even now I find it hard to believe, it just doesn't seem real to me."