NM: Hand gun with trigger pulled by Alec Baldwin in rehearsal kills one injures one

[oohrah]

I have several Pietta SA revolver replicas. It is quite possible that he merely pulled back the hammer and then let it go or it slipped accidentally, without getting fully cocked. Those triggers are pretty light also. I believe the latter, an accidental slip of the hammer, so Baldwin is quite possibly truthful about that.

That still doesn't exonerate him from violating the other rules, and he should be held liable as much as the armorer.

[Rafe]

Hard to believe this came from CNN. Worth watching.

https://twitter.com/@twitter/status/1466752479580893184

Wow. You got that right! CNN posted that!? The mind boggles...

[srothstein]

Hard to believe this came from CNN. Worth watching.

https://twitter.com/@twitter/status/1466752479580893184

Wow. You got that right! CNN posted that!? The mind boggles...

That was interesting. In at least one possible scenario he mentioned, I agree it could be what happened. It factually make it still a lie to say he did not pull the trigger, but he may not have realized it if he pulled the trigger as he drew before he cocked the hammer and let it go. This was the old west style known as fanning the pistol. Hold the trigger back and slap the hammer repeatedly, letting it go forward as the hand kept moving.

But I noted that the pistol he was demonstrating on was not the same style reportedly used by Baldwin. The pistol in the video had the firing pin on the hammer still. Supposedly, the one used by Baldwin was a more modern style and had the firing pin mounted in the frame and a flat surface on the face of the hammer. If the trigger is held back, a transfer bar is pushed forward to transfer the energy from the hammer to the firing pin. If the trigger is not held back, no firing pin motion occurs. That would rule out the accidental slip letting the hammer drop without the trigger being pulled.

[Keith B]

I have several Pietta SA revolver replicas. It is quite possible that he merely pulled back the hammer and then let it go or it slipped accidentally, without getting fully cocked. Those triggers are pretty light also. I believe the latter, an accidental slip of the hammer, so Baldwin is quite possibly truthful about that.

That still doesn't exonerate him from violating the other rules, and he should be held liable as much as the armorer.

With a transfer bar safety system, as long as it is functioning as designed, a hammer dropping without the trigger depressed should not result in the hammer being able to strike the firing pin.

[carlson1]

If I was making a home movie using a firearm. The gun discharged and killed someone. Then myself or someone else would be charged with a crime and have to make bail while they continue to investigate. Baldwin is no different than anyone else unless you count his Hollywood status and that’s why the police are not doing their job.

[BigGuy]

I belong to “The Pistol Forum.” Great national resource with a LOT of LEO and professional members. (MDs, EMT, PHDs, Authors, and gun folks who work in Hollywood.) Here is my understanding of where this is.
Alex Baldwin the actor is in pretty good shape. Actors aren’t gun people, they don’t know the 4 rules. They follow direction of the director (point the gun at the camera and pull the trigger) That is why they are supposed to have experts (Armorers) on set to make sure everything is safe. A head on shot using a revolver needs “Dummy” rounds. Looks just like a usable cartridge. Just no propellent or primer. Not something your typical Hollywood pretty face would know.
NOW!
Alex the producer is in more jeopardy. He is the person ultimately responsible for safety on the set. He is responsible for hiring qualified safety personnel, including an experienced armorer.
It seems as though the young woman he hired wasn’t up to professional standards. I’ve read several articles where there were previous negligent discharges on this set. Somebody brought live ammo on set for some “target shooting”. The producer should have taken action. He obviously didn’t. There were numerous complaints by employees about safety standards on this set before the tragic death of a filmmaker. He was cutting expense to the detriment of safety. It seems to me as though that will be easy to prove and his self is negligent.
My personal feeling is that his arrogance allowed him to think the rules that applied to the rest of us didn’t apply to him. That resulted in a death.

[K.Mooneyham]

I have several Pietta SA revolver replicas. It is quite possible that he merely pulled back the hammer and then let it go or it slipped accidentally, without getting fully cocked. Those triggers are pretty light also. I believe the latter, an accidental slip of the hammer, so Baldwin is quite possibly truthful about that.

That still doesn't exonerate him from violating the other rules, and he should be held liable as much as the armorer.

With a transfer bar safety system, as long as it is functioning as designed, a hammer dropping without the trigger depressed should not result in the hammer being able to strike the firing pin.

I formerly owned a Ruger Vaquero with the transfer bar system. The hammer had to be cocked back fully, and then the trigger pulled fully to the rear to not only release the hammer, but also to push the transfer bar up where the hammer could come forward to strike it, and transfer that strike into the firing pin. I played around with it, unloaded of course, and if the trigger wasn't all the way back, the hammer would release, but the transfer bar would drop down, preventing the firing pin from being struck...which was the entire point of the system.

[NotRPB]

I'm thinking "at fault" drivers will now use the same logic to explain fatal "accidents" wrecks... it's not my fault, i was just the operator in charge of the item causing death at that moment, but i was told it was a safe object/car/truck to operate/drive.

[philip964]

https://www.emilypostnews.com/p/10-most ... win-claims

Top Ten Baldwin excuses for shooting and killing a woman.

From the lady of Emily gets her gun fame in DC.

[oohrah]

I have several Pietta SA revolver replicas. It is quite possible that he merely pulled back the hammer and then let it go or it slipped accidentally, without getting fully cocked. Those triggers are pretty light also. I believe the latter, an accidental slip of the hammer, so Baldwin is quite possibly truthful about that.

That still doesn't exonerate him from violating the other rules, and he should be held liable as much as the armorer.

With a transfer bar safety system, as long as it is functioning as designed, a hammer dropping without the trigger depressed should not result in the hammer being able to strike the firing pin.

I formerly owned a Ruger Vaquero with the transfer bar system. The hammer had to be cocked back fully, and then the trigger pulled fully to the rear to not only release the hammer, but also to push the transfer bar up where the hammer could come forward to strike it, and transfer that strike into the firing pin. I played around with it, unloaded of course, and if the trigger wasn't all the way back, the hammer would release, but the transfer bar would drop down, preventing the firing pin from being struck...which was the entire point of the system.

My Piettas are Cap & Ball, but I also have conversion cylinders for them that take 45LC cartridges. Those cylinders replace the C&B cylinders and they have the firing pins on each cylinder. There is no transfer bar system. There is an "in-between" notch to rest the hammer for safety. Other wise the hammer strikes the firing pin directly. I have n o idea what type Baldwin was using, but it wasn't C&B.

[Rafe]

https://www.emilypostnews.com/p/10-most ... win-claims

Top Ten Baldwin excuses for shooting and killing a woman.

From the lady of Emily gets her gun fame in DC.

Emily stated my thoughts about that "interview" better than I could. She has a couple of typos to fix, but otherwise this an excellent piece. Round of applause. I'll also say that I don't know anything about George Clooney and his position on the 2A, but he's gone up a notch to me. About the only thing Stephanopoulos did that seemed actually intended to put Baldwin on the spot even a little (Stephanopoulos was also the producer of the one-hour segment...did you hear the cheesy background music they used?), was to play the brief video interview with Clooney.

Every single time I'm handed a gun on the set — every time — they hand me a gun, I look at it, I open it, I show it to the person I'm pointing it to, I show it to the crew. Every single take, you hand it back to the armorer when you're done. You do it again. And part of it is because of what happened to Brandon [Lee]. Everyone does it.

[Keith B]

My Piettas are Cap & Ball, but I also have conversion cylinders for them that take 45LC cartridges. Those cylinders replace the C&B cylinders and they have the firing pins on each cylinder. There is no transfer bar system. There is an "in-between" notch to rest the hammer for safety. Other wise the hammer strikes the firing pin directly. I have n o idea what type Baldwin was using, but it wasn't C&B.

Supposedly it was an 1873 .45 Long Colt replica. If that’s the case, then it should have a transfer bar safety.

According to some reports I’ve seen he claims he cocked the hammer, and it dropped and the gun fired. My guess is he had the trigger depressed enough to disengage the transfer bar, cocked the hammer and when he let the hammer go it fired. This would be a proper function of the gun since you can ‘fan’ an 1873 hammer as long as the trigger is pulled.

[Flightmare]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ale ... 57096.html

"His statements can and will be used against him in the civil lawsuits and any potential criminal prosecution," says Rahmani, who is president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. "And Baldwin’s attorneys can’t use the interview to help him because his answers are hearsay. At best, the interview was a calculated public relations move" and one "that may backfire.”

[philip964]

My Piettas are Cap & Ball, but I also have conversion cylinders for them that take 45LC cartridges. Those cylinders replace the C&B cylinders and they have the firing pins on each cylinder. There is no transfer bar system. There is an "in-between" notch to rest the hammer for safety. Other wise the hammer strikes the firing pin directly. I have n o idea what type Baldwin was using, but it wasn't C&B.

Supposedly it was an 1873 .45 Long Colt replica. If that’s the case, then it should have a transfer bar safety.

According to some reports I’ve seen he claims he cocked the hammer, and it dropped and the gun fired. My guess is he had the trigger depressed enough to disengage the transfer bar, cocked the hammer and when he let the hammer go it fired. This would be a proper function of the gun since you can ‘fan’ an 1873 hammer as long as the trigger is pulled.

I suspect you are correct and most likely this is what the experts will all say in court and what the FBI gun tests will show.

[K.Mooneyham]

My Piettas are Cap & Ball, but I also have conversion cylinders for them that take 45LC cartridges. Those cylinders replace the C&B cylinders and they have the firing pins on each cylinder. There is no transfer bar system. There is an "in-between" notch to rest the hammer for safety. Other wise the hammer strikes the firing pin directly. I have n o idea what type Baldwin was using, but it wasn't C&B.

Supposedly it was an 1873 .45 Long Colt replica. If that’s the case, then it should have a transfer bar safety.

According to some reports I’ve seen he claims he cocked the hammer, and it dropped and the gun fired. My guess is he had the trigger depressed enough to disengage the transfer bar, cocked the hammer and when he let the hammer go it fired. This would be a proper function of the gun since you can ‘fan’ an 1873 hammer as long as the trigger is pulled.

I suspect you are correct and most likely this is what the experts will all say in court and what the FBI gun tests will show.

If so, he had that trigger back pretty far, if the mechanism in the Pietta works like my Ruger did. If you quickly pressed the trigger but let go of it before it got all the way back, even though the hammer fell, so did the transfer bar, so no BANG!