Rust armourer claims Alec Baldwin ignored gun safety rules ‘against all common sense’

Baldwin, 63, submitted an arbitration filing last week which stated his contract protected him from indemnification over the tragic shooting

The armourer for Alec Baldwin’s film Rust has alleged that the actor and producer was guilty of breaching several gun safety rules, which ultimately led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The on-set tragedy occurred on 21 October 2021, when Baldwin was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The 63-year-old was allegedly practising the cross-draw – one of the ways to carry a hand gun – when the film prop discharged a live round, killing 42-year-old Hutchins and injuring the film’s director, Joel D’Souza.

Last week, Baldwin submitted an arbitration filing denying any financial responsibility over Hutchins’s death.

According to the court documents filed by Baldwin’s legal team on Friday (11 March), his contract protects him from indemnification over the tragedy, CNN reported.

On Saturday (12 March), armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, made a statement regarding Baldwin’s recent legal filing.

The daughter of well-regarded Hollywood armourer Thell Reed claimed that the actor refused proper training and pointed the gun at Hutchins “against all rules and common sense”, ABC reports.

In a statement, Gutierrez-Reed, also listed a number of instances when Baldwin allegedly compromised safety on the Rust set.

She claimed that she was not asked to inspect the antique revolver before it was used in the “impromptu” rehearsal. She also accused Baldwin of turning down the proper training required to implement the “dangerous” cross draw method.

Halnya Hutchins died after a prop gun discharged a live round on the set of Alex Baldwin’s film, ‘Rust’ (Instagram)

“Mr Baldwin knew that he could never point a firearm at crew members under any circumstances and had a duty of safety to his fellow crew members,” her lawyer, Jason Bowles, said.

The Independent has contacted Baldwin’s representatives for comment.

Baldwin suggested last week that Hutchins’s family, including widower Matthew, was trying to draw monetary compensation from him over the late cinematographer’s death.

Matthew Hutchins sued Baldwin last month for the wrongful death of his wife. Numerous other lawsuits have been filed by various crew members, all alleging safety concerns during the making of the movie.