The tragedy is that the person responsible for the gun left a live bullet in it! I don't believe it's up to the actor to know firearms and spin the cylinder to check for bullets like they do in...well movies!
The 4 Rules applies to
everyone. They apply
everywhere,
all the time, to anyone competent to hold a weapon. One who is not competent, should not pick one up (this is why children are taught to NOT pick up a gun). Any competent adult, however, can learn and follow these rules, as they are
simple and
practicable. Baldwin has been handling firearms in the movies since the 1980s. As an actor, he handles firearms more frequently than the average person.
As a person who handles guns, he has an obligation to be aware of safe-handling rules and follow them.
If there was a blank lined up for the next shot (of the gun) then spinning the cylinder by anyone without knowledge of firearms would be stupid as it could misaligned the blank with the firing pin.
Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't know how guns work. You can't just spin the cylinder of a revolver when it is locked up, nor is this how you inspect to see if they are loaded.
It is a very simple thing to unload/check a single-action revolver. See the video below. It demonstrates how Baldwin should have safely checked the revolver in about two minutes.
And if you are not competent to clear the gun, don't pick it up.
I believe it's already been pointed out that Baldwin has an anti-gun stance
Oh, he not only has an anti-gun stance, he has had no mercy for the mistakes of others.
https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/u...33-1.jpg?w=960 There is a bitter irony in this, because now he does know, and you have much more empathy for him, than he has historically had for others.
Regardless, if you don't like guns and aren't willing to learn how to safely handle them, then don't handle them.
[quote=Citizen Rules;2247656]and it makes no sense to expect that he knows how to spin a cylinder in a 19th century firearm to check for live bullets,[quote]
On the contrary, it is the responsibility of anyone who handles any gun of any era, to learn safe-handling before actually handling it. A Colt-style single action revolver is a simple device and is simple to handle safely. It is much easier to handle safely than a modern stirker-fired pistol like a Glock. It is for this reason that it is commonly recommended to train people to shoot handguns staring with a single action revolver in a small caliber like .22, as this is the hardest to screw up with.
that's the job of...the prop master/or the person in charge of firearms (I believe they have their own title these days something like weapons master).
Industry norms do not absolve you of your moral responsibility to know and practice safe handling of firearms. Once you are holding that device, it is under your control and is your responsibility. Baldwin has handled more guns than any of us and for many decades. He should really have learned the rules by now. This was not a toddler handed loaded gun. Again, if the Hollywood norm is that the prop master is the only one responsible for safe handling, then Hollywood is screwing up.
We should note that Baldwin is also a producer on this show, so he has another layer of responsibility here (i.e., to provide for a safe set ). And the scuttlebutt is that the crew had already walked out over safety concerns one time.