Baldwin Doesn't Like Using Fake Guns

Why didn't they use a rubber gun?

The police released emails sent to Dave Halls, the film's assistant director, who has been accused of failing in his duty to check guns were safe. In one message, a friend warned that Baldwin's 'PR team is in overdrive trying to shift the blame from himself onto a worker bee who doesn't have the money or the power to refute any of it'.

Even if Baldwin was handed a loaded gun, industry insiders say that doesn't absolve him of responsibility. Hollywood actors' union guidelines specify no one should pick up a gun without checking it themselves and should never aim it directly at anyone.

Filmmakers have a variety of options of what guns they use. Fake guns made of rubber are increasingly popular, but some directors and actors consider them insufficiently realistic for close-up shots.

An alternative is to use a real gun that has been modified so it can only be loaded with dummy rounds which look like bullets.

It appears that Baldwin was one of those filmmakers who didn't like using fake guns. In a text message, Rust's prop master Sarah Zachry told a friend that Gutierrez Reed had always wanted to use fake weapons on set, but said this conflicted with Baldwin's wishes.

'Alec never liked anything fake like guns and even the rubber knife,' she wrote. 'He always wanted the real knife, but eventually I gave him the rubber without him knowing. He always wanted his real gun.'

If so, he may now deeply regret his passion for authenticity.