Tragedy struck the set ofRustwhen cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot by a prop gun discharged by Alec Baldwin back in October of 2021. Now, New Mexico Senator Cliff Pirtle has responded to the untimely death of Hutchins by proposing SB 188, a bill that would mandate film workers take a gun safety course.
TheRustcinematographer’son-set shooting death occurred when Baldwin firedwhat he believed to be a cold weapon. This tragedy sparked much debate among film workers and the public alike regarding the obvious gaps that exist in the film industry’s handling of weaponry. Now, Pirtle has introduced a bill he hopes will close some of those gaps by mandating film workers on any set in New Mexico take a gun safety course.
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Currently, New Mexico does not require any form of certification for those who handle weapons while on a film set. The state also lacks any form of weapons training that is tailored to the film industry specifically, but Variety reports Senator Pirtle is proposing set workers on all productions be required to take the state’s gun safety course meant for hunters under the age of 18. This course teaches safe gun handling as well as basic shooting and hunting skills. The New Mexico Senator believes teaching film workers these basic skills could help prevent future tragedies on film sets.
This bill has been met with pushback from veteran film workers. Scott Rasmussen, who has worked in the industry for almost three decades, took the hunters course as a child and does not believe it is in any way relevant to the film industry. Rasmussen also did not agree with Pirtle’s mandate applying to the entire crew when the majority of the people on set would never touch any of the armorer’s weapons. He fears the proposed bill will pushproductions away from New Mexicoin favor of states that do not have such a mandate.
Accidental shooting deaths on films sets are unfortunately not as rare as they should be. TheRustcinematographer’s death back in October caused many to remember the tragic death of Brandon Lee on theset ofThe Crowback in 1993. Lee’s death was also the result of a weapon not being checked and cleared as it should have been. While Pirtle’s proposed bill may not be the perfect answer for the film industry, it is an attempt to make sets safer and to avoid future tragedies.
