Alec Baldwin should be convicted for involuntary manslaughter. In 2021, while shooting the movie “Rust,” he accidentally shot and killed the movie’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a firearm. Along with Baldwin, the armorer Hannah Guiterrez Reed has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter. 

His negligence means that he should be punished for his actions on set. 

Although Baldwin is not necessarily responsible for loading the live rounds into the gun, there still should not be an accident resulting in death. Pointing the gun and having the finger on the trigger are both dangerous – even when the gun is presumed to be unloaded. 

According to New Mexican law, involuntary manslaughter constitutes a killing while committing a crime and acting in a reckless manner. Baldwin held a .45 long Colt caliber revolver that required 

Numerous gun safety guidelines have the rule of keeping the finger off the trigger unless the gun holder is ready to shoot. However, despite Baldwin’s defense that he did not pull the trigger, FBI testing shows that the weapon could not fire without a physical pull of the trigger. 

Video and photo evidence shows that Baldwin has his finger on the trigger, an example of negligent and dangerous behavior, especially given that he was handling guns and live rounds at close range.

In fact, court documents show that Baldwin has skipped firearms training before filming the “Rust” movie. 

Furthermore, eyewitness accounts indicate that nobody checked whether the gun was loaded or not after a lunch break. 

Handling the gun, even if it was “cold,” still requires caution in order to prevent a tragedy like this. Even pointing the gun at Hutchins indicates a violation of gun safety rules — especially without performing the required safety checks with the armorer. 

Furthermore, creating a dangerous work environment also puts the burden on him where live rounds are fired in the first place, all while ignoring safety incidents.    

However, it is important to note that not all of the evidence is present, and the justice system will determine the final verdict.

“Rust” is continuing to film with the same cast despite the tragedy.