A major shift has happened in favor of Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the Rust shooting case, as charges have been downgraded, leading to a reduced amount of time in prison. A five-year prison sentence was on the table from a firearm enhancement charge attached to the case. On Friday, the Santa Fe District Attorney made the decision after an argument against the firearm enhancement law that was passed in New Mexico after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The case is ongoing, so the fate of Alec Baldwin and the armorer is up in the air as other charges for the Rust shooting are in place. The involuntary manslaughter charges still stand, which has a maximum of 18 months behind bars.
Alec Baldwin sees downgraded charges and reduced prison time for Rust case
The shooting took place in October 2021 on the film’s set at Bonanza Creek Ranch. Various reports have come out since then regarding the set’s lack of safety. Protocols were reportedly being disregarded when it came to the use of firearms on set. Crew members had even walked off set in protest of violations of these protocols.
The case has caused significant discourse in Hollywood. Some still find the use of guns to be fine in the film as long as those precautions are taken. Others have disagreed like Dwayne Johnson has vowed to no longer have real guns used in his action-packed movies. Whether the charges against Alec Baldwin for the Rust shooting case stick could see an effect on the film industry moving forward.
The argument prosecutors have when formally charging the actor for the shooting is that he should have known “the first rule of gun safety is never to point a gun at someone you don’t intend on shooting.” It was also argued that he should have assumed live rounds were being used.