SAG-AFTRA defends Alec Baldwin as he faces fresh charges of involuntary manslaughter 

SAG-AFTRA has come out in support of actor Alec Baldwin who has been charged again for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The fresh charges on the actor were pressed on January 19. Hutchins died on October 21, 2021, after a gun that Baldwin was holding discharged on the set of the film Rust.

The labour union defended the actor in a statement shared Thursday. SAG-AFTRA noted that it is not an actor's duty to inspect a firearm on set and slammed the prosecution's understanding as an "incorrect assessment."

Statement issued by SAG-AFTRA

"An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert," the organization said in a statement. "Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm."According to SAG-AFTRA, industry standards require an "experienced, qualified armorer" to handle firearms.

"These duties include ‘inspecting the firearm and barrel before and after every firing sequence,’ and 'checking all firearms before each use,'" the statement said.

"The guidelines do not make it the performer’s responsibility to check any firearm. Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use."

Alec Baldwin charged with manslaughter in 'Rust' movie set fatal shooting case

The armorer on the sets of Rust- Hannah Gutierrez Reed- is also facing similar charges to Baldwin. Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the gun on October 21, 2021.

Baldwin claims he did not pull the trigger

"The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger," Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos in an interview shortly after the fatal shooting.

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"No, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never," Baldwin added.

However, the FBI conducted an accidental discharge test and determined the gun used in the fatal shooting of Hutchins "could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger."

Baldwin was originally charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter on January 31 in 2023, but the charges were dropped in April.

At the time, the prosecution claimed that "new facts" had been revealed that required further investigation.

SAG-AFTRA's support for Baldwin

This isn't the first time SAG-AFTRA has publicly defended Baldwin's actions that took place on Rust set in October 2021. The union had previously called the prosecution's assessment "wrong and uninformed."

"The death of Halyna Hutchins is a tragedy, and all the more so because of its preventable nature. It is not a failure of duty or a criminal act on the part of any performer," the union previously said in a statement.

"The prosecutor's contention that an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set is wrong and uninformed. An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert," it added.

"Firearms are provided for their use under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm. In addition, the employer is always responsible for providing a safe work environment at all times, including hiring and supervising the work of professionals trained in weapons," SAG-AFTRA continued.

Halyna Hutchins' family reacts to SAG-AFTRA statement

Meanwhile, Gloria Allred, the attorney for the family of Halyna Hutchins has responded to SAG-AFTRA's statement backing Alec Baldwin.

"The notion that an actor is not responsible if that actor holds a gun, points it at someone on a movie set, and discharges the weapon flies in the face of common sense and the law," Gloria Allred said in a statement Thursday.

"Safety protocols may be considered at trial, but they are not the law," Allred continued in her statement. "This indictment was the result of a careful assessment by the grand jury of all the facts and the law. It is important to respect the grand jury’s decision to indict, and to allow the criminal justice system to proceed to trial where the case will be decided on its merits," she added.