Amid Rust Shooting Investigation, Alec Baldwin Demands Gun Control ‘Now’ in Reaction to SC Shooting ‘Insanity’
Actor Alec Baldwin is calling for “gun control reform” while still dealing with the fallout of the fatal shooting on the set of the now shut down film Rust.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Baldwin shared a video of a South Carolina shooting that occurred on Monday evening near a youth baseball field. Children and adults are seen running and ducking to the ground as shots go off in a nearby parking lot.
No one was hurt in the shooting, but the shocking video kicked off a significant response. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooters and additional police have been placed near athletic fields. The mayor said, however, the shooting had nothing to do with the baseball game going on nearby at the same time.
“The very childhoods of our kids interrupted by this insanity,” Baldwin posted along with the video. “We regulate many things in this country in the interest of public health and safety. Drugs, cars, professional licenses, etc. We need gun control reform. Now.”
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Baldwin posting about a subject like gun control has been fairly common for the vocal liberal and short-lived MSNBC host, but he has been understandably quieter on the subject since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on October 21 on the New Mexico set of Rust. Baldwin was both a producer and the lead actor for the film. He was also the one holding the gun when it went off, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin’s new post still got plenty of support, much of it having no mention of the shooting, including from fellow Hollywood gun control advocates Cheryl Hines and Lesley Ann Warren.
Police are still investigating the circumstances around the shooting, but Baldwin has said he is not responsible and never even pulled the trigger. Reports from the set have indicated there were loose safety measures around the storing and transfer of guns, and Baldwin is facing a wrongful death lawsuit from the Hutchins family. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, has meanwhile sued a weapons provider, claiming they mislabeled live ammunition. She also accused Baldwin of pointing the weapon directly at another crew member “against all rules and common sense.”
Following the shooting, Baldwin described Hutchins as a “friend” and said he is cooperating with the police’s investigation.
