ABC’s The Rookie bans “live” guns following fatal shooting on the Rust movie set

The industry was left reeling after a fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Rust resulted in the death of the director of photography Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza was also hit by a live round when a gun was discharged by star and producer, Alec Baldwin, but he was subsequently released from the hospital on the night of the incident. As the investigation digs deeper into how this happened and why, ABC’s cop series The Rookie has already made moves to ban “live” guns on set.

Showrunner Alexi Hawley led the charge almost immediately after news broke about the shooting on the Rust set. Hawley informed ABC executives that production would no longer be using quarter or half loads while filming the series. For the past two seasons, the show primarily used CGI to display muzzle flashes but occasionally used “live” weapons on “big, outside set pieces.” This came to an end on Friday when Hawley sent a memo to staff, that was first reported on by “The Hollywood Reporter,” that outlined the changes being made to improve safety on set. Here is what the memo had to say:

The tragic events in New Mexico yesterday have shaken us all, and our hearts go out to the friends and family of Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza. As of today, it is now policy on The Rookie that all gunfire on set will be Air Soft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post. There will be no more “live” weapons on the show. The safety our cast and crew is too important. Any risk is too much risk. As always, if you ever feel unsafe or witness anything that concerns you, please don’t hesitate to report it.

My door is always open.

Alexi Hawley

Airsoft guns are basically BB funs that use a form of pellet instead of bullets as they produce less energy than an actual gun. They’re typically used on film and TV sets because they tend to look nearly identical to real guns. It does appear that the fatal Rust movie shooting is sparking a debate about gun safety on set or even the need to use “live” guns on set at all. The Rookie is the first production to announce making this change but a state senator in California is introducing a bill to ban live ammunition and guns that can fire such ammunition from theatrical productions across the state. Senator Dan Cortese announced his plan on Saturday and said, “There is an urgent need to address alarming work abuses and safety violations occurring on the set of theatrical productions, including unnecessary high-risk conditions such as the use of live firearms. It’s important that California establish new safety standards and best practices for all those who work in the industry and particularly our own state. Our entertainment industry must do a better job on ensuring safe working conditions for our hardworking crews.”

Do YOU think all productions should ban “live” guns on set following this tragedy?