Halyna Hutchins' Family Reacts To SAG-AFTRA's 'Rust' Statement Defending Alec Baldwin

Only one day after SAG-AFTRA released a statement defending Alec Baldwin against his new criminal charges, the family of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is speaking out.

The "30 Rock" actor shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while he was rehearsing a scene for the Western film in October 2021. In January 2023, prosecutors charged both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The rookie armorer was later charged with tampering with evidence after prosecutors alleged that they found a witness who claimed that Gutierrez-Reed transferred narcotics to another person on the day Hutchins was killed, thus impeding the police investigation. She has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February 2024.

Although the charges against Alec Baldwin were dropped in April 2023 without prejudice, they were filed again in January 2024 following another investigation into the "Rust" gun, which found that it was unlikely that the gun malfunctioned on set. How live ammunition ended up in a gun on a movie set is still under investigation.

Gloria Allred is the attorney representing Halyna Hutchins' mother, father, and sister in a civil lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and other "Rust" producers. She is also representing "Rust" script supervisor Mamie Mitchell in a separate lawsuit. "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 to People magazine following SAG-AFTRA's comments.

"Safety protocols may be considered at trial, but they are not the law," she continued. "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."

This is not the first time that Halyna Hutchins' family has made a statement through their attorney regarding Alec Baldwin's criminal trial. Shortly after the charges were announced for a second time earlier this month, Allred released a statement, saying:

“Our clients have always sought the truth about what happened on the day that Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed on October 21, 2021. They continue to seek the truth in our civil lawsuit for them and they also would like there to be accountability in the criminal justice system. The grand jury has decided that there is sufficient evidence to indict Alec Baldwin on the charge of involuntary manslaughter.  We are looking forward to the criminal trial which will determine if he should be convicted for the untimely death of Halyna, who was the daughter of our clients Olga Solovey and Anatolii Androsovych, the sister of Svetlana Zemko, and the co-worker-of-our-client-, Mamie Mitchell.”

In a statement posted to their website on January 25, 2024, SAG-AFTRA wrote:

To the extent that the charges filed on January 19 are based on an accusation of negligent use of a firearm predicated on this or any actor having a duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use, that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set.

An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. 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.

The Industry Standards for safety with firearms and the use of blank ammunition are clearly laid out in Safety Bulletin 1, provided by the Joint Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Commission. The guidelines require an experienced, qualified armorer to be put in charge of all handling, use, and safekeeping of firearms on set. These duties include 'inspecting the firearm and barrel before and after every firing sequence,' and 'checking all firearms before each use.'

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. The industry assigns that responsibility to qualified professionals who oversee their use and handling in every aspect. Anyone issued a firearm on set must be given training and guidance in its safe handling and use, but all activity with firearms on a set must be under the careful supervision and control of the professional armorer and the employer.