Alec Baldwin and His Trigger Finger

Okay, I’ll admit I own a few firearms, both handguns and long guns. I’m not a hunter, but I’ve always enjoyed shooting, not at people, but at targets. I once owned a single-action revolver not unlike that used by Alec Baldwin, but sold it over 30 years ago. Baldwin, as most people now know, used such a revolver when he shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42. 

For those who are not familiar with firearms, I suppose there’s one obvious question: Is shooting a firearm essentially dangerous? No it’s not. Shooting a firearm is really no more dangerous than driving a car, operating a circular saw, or really using any tool that has the capability of causing injury or death…unless — and it’s a very big unless — unless proper safety precautions are not always followed. 

From what we know, the firearm involved was an authentic single-action revolver, a “cowboy gun” for the unenlightened. Firing such a weapon normally involves a two-step process. First, the shooter manually cocks the hammer, usually with the thumb. As the hammer is engaged in the cocked position, the cylinder also rotates and sets up a fresh cartridge to be fired. Then, when the trigger is pulled, the weapon fires. Usually very little pressure is required to pull the trigger of a cocked revolver. Obviously, one normally does not want to carry a cocked revolver, for it can easily fire inadvertently.

There’s another issue that might be involved in this incident. Most single-action revolvers hold six cartridges, but for safety reasons shooters usually load only five rounds, leaving the chamber in front of the hammer empty. Doing this keeps the revolver from firing if it is dropped or if the hammer is pulled back and released before it is fully cocked. Baldwin, then, may have just lightly touched the trigger of a cocked revolver, or he may have let the hammer fall on a live round in the chamber. At this point, let’s see what Alec Baldwin had to say about his use of this firearm.

In a recent ABC News interview, presumably permitted by Baldwin’s attorneys, the actor said, “I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is. But I know it’s not me.” That’s right, Baldwin takes no responsibility for the tragic and totally unnecessary death of Ms. Hutchins.  

He claimed Hutchins was directing him to pull back the revolver’s hammer as far as he could without cocking it. "I’m just showing her, I go, ‘How about that? Does that work? Do you see that?' ... She said, 'yeah, that's good.'" 

Baldwin then made this remarkable admission, “I let go of the hammer — Bang! The gun goes off." He also added, "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.”

Almost everyone in the media has been calling this tragedy an “accident.” But when it comes to firearms safety, there’s no such thing. It always boils down to one of two things: it was either an intentional shooting, or it was a case of negligence abetted by ignorance of normal firearms safety rules. Perhaps, at this point, it would be useful to review some very basic rules regarding the use of firearms. All of us who use firearms responsibly know and always follow these four rules:

Based on what Alex Baldwin stated in his ABC interview with George Stephanoupolis, it appears he broke every one of these four rules. 

1. Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction. Baldwin not only intentionally pointed the revolver in an unsafe direction, but actually pointed it directly at Halyna Hutchins. This cannot be denied because Hutchins was struck by the bullet fired from the revolver.  
2. Treat every firearm as if it is fully loaded. Baldwin obviously did not know whether the firearm was loaded or unloaded, but apparently simply accepted what someone else told him. Sorry, Alec, but the only way you can be certain your firearm is unloaded is to examine the firearm yourself. It’s important to recognize that “blanks” can also be dangerous. They are not completely blank, but can cause injury, even death. Besides the explosive gasses that make the “bang,” anything in the cartridge, like wadding or wax filler, will be propelled at high velocity. At close range this can cause serious injury or worse. Apparently, in this instance, however, the round that killed Hutchins was a live round, a bullet not a blank.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the intended target. Baldwin claims he “didn’t pull the trigger.” This assertion leads to a couple of possibilities. First of all, he might actually have fully cocked the revolver but didn’t realize it because of his distracting ongoing conversation with Hutchins. Then, just touching the trigger lightly might well have fired the revolver. Or perhaps the revolver was actually fully loaded, with a live round in the chamber immediately in front of the hammer. Then, when Baldwin released the uncocked hammer, it went forward and fired the round in the chamber. Anyway, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “It is possible that the gun can fire at any time, or even later when you release the safety, without you ever touching the trigger again.” Things are even trickier with a single-action revolver which has no safety. It’s always critical to know if a live round is in the chamber under the hammer.
4. Always be sure of your target and what’s behind it. Baldwin was fully aware that he was pointing the firearm at Hutchins. This is apparent by the nature of the conversation he had with Hutchins, a conversation he described during his interview on ABC News.

Alec Baldwin broke every rule of firearms safety and his ignorance or willful negligence should not protect him from prosecution. I believe Baldwin’s attorneys made a serious error by allowing the actor to grant that interview. If he is charged, and he might well be accused of some form of involuntary manslaughter, any competent prosecutor will certainly address all the issues I’ve included above (and many others) in order to educate the jurors on firearms safety. 

Should Baldwin be convicted and sentenced to some time in prison? I certainly can’t say, but I hope for his sake he thinks about this woman’s life and accepts his responsibility for her death. In the meantime, we pray for her soul and for his.