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Local armorer weighs in on Alec Baldwin case

Shares how to use prop guns on set

He has the same gun used on set to explain how it works.

By: Reyna Preciado

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Actor Alec Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal on-set shooting during the western movie “Rust.” A prop gun was fired containing live ammunition, which Baldwin claims he did not know.

The armorer on set, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, is also facing these charges. She oversaw the weapons used in production.

John Marrs has been a motion picture armorer for five years but he was a firearms instructor for much longer. He's managed Gammons Gulch Movie Set for almost two years and has been following the Alec Baldwin case very closely.

“A lot of people don’t understand how guns are handled on a movie set. They think that was the norm, what happened on that ‘Rust’ set, and it was really just a violation of several different levels of safety protocols that caused that accident to happen,” said Marrs.

He even has the exact model of gun used on set, the Pietta Colt Single Action Army Revolver. But his main concern is why a live ammunition round was on set.

“There's only two types of rounds that never should have been on set. A dummy round or a blank firing round,” he said.

He said a blank firing round is safe at 20 feet, but can be dangerous any closer.

“We never point the gun at the person. It’s always cheated off to the side and then we use camera angles to make it look like it’s pointed at the person,” said Marrs.

He said footage showing what happened before the shooting shows where he was pointing the gun. Baldwin claims he did not pull the trigger, but Marrs says that wasn’t possible given the circumstances.

“Single action means the trigger only does one thing, it releases the hammer. So you have to fully cock the hammer. So when you pull the trigger it releases the hammer and fires the gun. What happened was called a negligent discharge. He fired the gun because he had the gun cocked and had his finger on the trigger,” said Marrs.

Given the circumstances, he believes the charges are fair. He shared how he thinks the case will play out.

“I could just see them pleading out to some other charge, getting probation, and going about their business,” he said.

Marrs said if you are working on a movie set to not cut corners and take the extra time to double check everything.

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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.

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