'Rust' star Alec Baldwin was hit with involuntary manslaughter charges on Jan. 19
Prosecutors are ‘salivating’ to cross-examine Alec Baldwin: Attorney
Attorney Andrew Stoltmann joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss Alec Baldwin facing 18 months in prison on a manslaughter charge for the 'Rust' movie set shooting.
SAG-AFTRA is standing behind Alec Baldwin yet again.
Baldwin was charged again with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on January 19. Hutchins died October 21, 2021, after a gun that Baldwin was holding discharged.
The labor 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."
"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."
ALEC BALDWIN FACES NEW INDICTMENT IN ‘RUST’ MOVIE SET SHOOTING
Alec Baldwin was defended by SAG-AFTRA after being charged with involuntary manslaughter a second time for the death of Halyna Hutchins. (Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department)
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."
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer involved in the "Rust" filming, is also facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
Alec Baldwin finished filming "Rust" in May 2023. (Reuters)
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Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the gun October 21, 2021.
"The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger," Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos in an interview shortly after the fatal shooting.
"No, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never."
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," ABC News reported.
WATCH: ALEC BALDWIN INDICTED ON TWO COUNTS OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER FROM ‘RUST’ SET
Baldwin was originally charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter on January 31, and the charges were dropped in April.
At the time, the prosecution claimed that "new facts" had been revealed that require further investigation. In their motion to dismiss, the special prosecutors noted that the inquiry and forensic analysis required could be completed before the start of Baldwin's scheduled preliminary hearing.
Special prosecutors revealed that they would ask a grand jury to decide if Baldwin should face criminal charges for a second time in October, nearly two years after Hutchins' death.
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WATCH: ALEC BALDWIN'S FIRST WORDS TO DETECTIVES AFTER ‘RUST’ SHOOTING REVEALED
This isn't the first time SAG-AFTRA has publicly defended Baldwin's actions that occurred on the "Rust" film set in 2021, calling 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."
"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.
