Overnight it emerged a prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin on the set of his film Rust killed the director of photography Halyna Hutchins, in a tragic accident.
Baldwin was filming the 19th century western in New Mexico when the fatal incident took place, with initial statements stating it involved the misfire of a prop gun with blanks. Later reports claimed Baldwin asked why he was given a ‘hot gun’, that is, a gun with live ammunition, while a union email alleged the gun contained a live round.
While the use of prop guns on set is often strictly controlled, with a prop master or a licensed armourer responsible for handling all weapons, including loading blanks, deaths have occurred in the past on set where prop guns – which can be a toy or imitation firearm, or a real gun adapted to use blanks – are concerned.
In 1993, Brandon Lee died when he was 28 years old after a similar incident on the set of The Crow.
The actor had been filming a scene where his character was shot when he was struck in the abdomen by an improperly made dummy round. Prior to the scene, the gun was loaded with the cartridges with the powder charges removed, but the primers had not been, and after one of the rounds was fired, a bullet was pushed into the gun barrel and had become stuck.
When the gun, which was loaded with blank rounds for the actual scene, was fired by actor Michael Massee during filming, a blank round was fired and dislodged the bullet with almost the same force as if the round was live.
When it comes to prop guns, there are strict guidelines about their use, with writer and producer Christopher Gest and showrunner Sarah Mayberry noting in a piece for The Conversation ‘on set there is always an armourer, a safety officer, and a stunt coordinator: at least three people who always have an eye on the guns on set’.
What is a prop gun?
A prop gun is any firearm that is used as a prop for entertainment purposes, from film and TV sets to theatre productions and live re-enactments.
While prop guns can be non-functional tools that just look like guns, some productions use real guns in order to maintain a look of authenticity.
SAG-AFTRA has published strict guidelines around the use of prop guns on sets, including rules around safety briefings, gun handling training.
Prop guns can be loaded with ‘blanks’. This is short for ‘blank cartridges’ which are firearm cartridges that generate a muzzle flash and an explosive sound like any normal gunshot, with the gun recoiling, but without shooting a projectile, or bullet.
They’re often used on set for simulations that still demand the light and sound effects which mirror a real gun.
A blank shares many components with a real bullet, such as the casing and gunpowder, however it doesn’t have the bullet at its head. Instead, it has a wadding of paper, plastic, felt or cotton.
How are they dangerous?
When you fire a prop gun with a blank, it still contains the casing, gunpowder, and a firing pin on the bottom of the cartridge which is propelled out of the barrel.
Not only is the muzzle flash and ignition of the gunpowder explosive enough to cause injury to someone close by – hence the use of PPE and safety screens – if the blank is improperly loaded, as was the case with Lee’s death, it can cause serious harm.
With the extensive use of CG effects in film and TV it’s been questioned why blanks are still used on sets today.
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