Hollywood to ban 'live' weapons on film/TV sets after Alec Baldwin's mishap?

Gun control and regulation has been a hot topic in the world ever since Alec Baldwin was involved in a mishap on the sets of ‘Rust’ after he accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The cinematographer died as a result.

Now, Hollywood is taking the matters in their own hands and discussing safety on sets and the use of guns. There are currently conversations on how major film and TVstudios should examine gun safety policies.

This is not the first time when shows have faced a flak concerning violence depicted. Hollywood’s long history with guns always comes to the spotlight after a tragedy. As a case in example, after the Parkland high school shooting, Megan Boone (The Blacklist star) had said that her character “will never carry an assault rifle again”.

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After Hutchins’ death, 'The Rookie' showrunner Alexi Hawley wrote an internal memo that he described as “an emotional process.” He announced,“it is now policy on The Rookie that all gunfire on set will be Air Soft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post. There will be no more ‘live’ weapons on the show. The safety our cast and crew is too important. Any risk is too much risk.”

Most recently, ‘Mare of Easttown’ director Craig Zobel revealed after the Rust incident that all gunshots on the popular HBO limited series are digital. He said, “There’s no reason to have guns loaded with blanks or anything on set anymore. Should just be fully outlawed. There’s computers now.”

Eric Kripke, showrunner for Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys, tweeted: “No more guns with blanks on any of my sets ever. We’ll use VFX muzzle flashes. Who’s with me?”'Rust' shooting: Halyna Hutchins' husband on her tragic death: Our loss is enormous

But can we expect a blanket policy on banning “live” weapons from all Hollywood shows especially when violence runs deep into the narrative of most stories?

Meanwhile, father of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has opened up about the tragic accident. He said, “We still can’t believe Halyna is dead and her mother is going out of her mind with grief. But I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible – it is the responsibility of the props people who handle the guns.”

Soon after the accident, a distraught Alec Baldwin was seen meeting the family of the cinematographer. Baldwin was seen consoling the family as they met at a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.