• Home
  • Breaking News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Email Whitelisting
No Result
View All Result
Money Profit News
No Result
View All Result
Home Breaking News

New Mexico fines ‘Rust’ for willful gun safety failures

by
April 20, 2022
in Breaking News
0
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Related Posts

US debt interest payments are unsustainable and flash ‘huge warning signs’ as they take over federal spending, budget expert warns

Retired? You May Want Stocks, Not Bonds, to Power Your Portfolio

Investors pulled $19 billion from stocks in the last week, the highest outflow all year amid surging bond yields and Fed jitters

Watching the Real-Estate Bust From the Streets of San Francisco

A distraught Alec Baldwin lingers in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in Santa Fe, N.M., after he was questioned about a shooting on the set of the film “Rust” on the outskirts of Santa Fe, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.
Jim Weber | Santa Fe New Mexican via AP

New Mexico workplace safety regulators on Wednesday issued the maximum possible fine against a film production company for firearms safety failures on the set of “Rust” where a cinematographer was fatally shot in October 2021 by actor and producer Alec Baldwin.

New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau said Rust Movie Productions must pay $139,793, and distributed a scathing narrative of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set prior to the fatal shooting. The bureau also documented gun safety complaints from crew members that went unheeded and said weapons specialists were not allowed to make decisions about additional safety training.

“What we had, based on our investigators’ findings, was a set of obvious hazards to employees regarding the use of firearms and management’s failure to act upon those obvious hazards,” Bob Genoway, bureau chief for occupational safety, told The Associated Press.

At a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021, Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins inside a small church during setup for the filming of a scene when it went off, killing Hutchins and wounding the director, Joel Souza.

Baldwin said in a December interview with ABC News that he was pointing the gun at Hutchins at her instruction on the New Mexico set of the Western film when it went off without his pulling the trigger.

The new occupational safety report confirms that a large-caliber revolver was handed to Baldwin by an assistant director, David Halls, without consulting with on-set weapons specialists during or after the gun was loaded. Regulators note that Halls also served as safety coordinator and that he was present and witnessed two accidental discharges of rifles on set, and that he and other managers who knew of the misfires took no investigative, corrective or disciplinary action. Crew members expressed surprise and discomfort.

“The Safety Coordinator was present on set and took no direct action to address safety concerns,” the report states. “Management was provided with multiple opportunities to take corrective actions and chose not to do so. As a result of these failures, Director Joel Souza and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were severely injured. Halyna Hutchins succumbed to her injuries.”

A spokesman for Rust Movie Productions did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. An attorney for Baldwin was not immediately available.

James Kenney, secretary of the Environment Department that oversees occupational safety, said the agency dedicated 1,500 staff hours to its investigation, examined hundreds of documents and conducted at least a dozen interviews with cast and crew members.

Investigators found production managers placed tight limits on resources for a small team that controlled weapons on set and failed to address concerns about a shotgun left unattended twice.

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the daughter of a sharpshooter and consultant to film productions, was limited to eight paid days as an armorer to oversee weapons and training, and was assigned otherwise to lighter duties as a props assistant. As her time as an armorer ran out, Gutierrez Reed warned a manager and was rebuffed.

Safety investigators also note that the production company did not develop a process to ensure live rounds of ammunition were not brought on set, in violation of industry safety protocols. Safety meetings were conducted, but not every day weapons were used, as required.

Kenney said the separate investigations into possible criminal charges are still underway.

He said his agency received no direct safety complaints from cast or crew prior to the fatal shooting, even though anonymity is offered.

“This tragedy, this loss of life, it could have been prevented, and we want people to say something,” he said.

Kenney was appointed in 2019 by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a staunch advocate for the film industry who increased a state cap in industry incentives shortly after taking office.

New Mexico competes with non-Hollywood production sites in states such as Georgia, Louisiana and New York. Film productions have flocked to New Mexico in recent years to seize on its diverse outdoor scenery, moderate costs and generous state incentives, including a rebate of between 25% and 35% of in-state spending for video production that helps filmmakers large and small underwrite their work.

Next Post

Netflix stock plunges 36% on shocking subscriber loss

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

email

Get the daily email about stock.

Please Enter Your Email Address:

By opting in you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Popular Posts

Breaking News

US debt interest payments are unsustainable and flash ‘huge warning signs’ as they take over federal spending, budget expert warns

by
September 24, 2023
0

Read more

US debt interest payments are unsustainable and flash ‘huge warning signs’ as they take over federal spending, budget expert warns

Retired? You May Want Stocks, Not Bonds, to Power Your Portfolio

Investors pulled $19 billion from stocks in the last week, the highest outflow all year amid surging bond yields and Fed jitters

Watching the Real-Estate Bust From the Streets of San Francisco

Evergrande Scraps $35 Billion Restructuring Plan as China’s Housing Crisis Intensifies

Treasury Yields Are Headed Even Higher. Stocks Won’t Like It.

Load More

All rights reserved by www.moneyprofitnews.com

  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Email Whitelisting
No Result
View All Result
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Home

moneyprofitnews