I have no particular reason to defend Alec Baldwin, but there’s something unsettling about the manslaughter charges announced this week in the wake of last year’s tragic shooting on the set of the movie "Rust." The controversial actor was holding a prop gun that he thought was filled with blanks; a live round fired and killed a cinematographer. A horrific accident, yes. But a crime? Here, matters are murkier.
Others have explained why the known facts don’t quite to match the elements of manslaughter under New Mexico law. I’d like to go further and ponder the theory on which the case apparently rests.
In announcing the indictment of Baldwin, the district attorney of Santa Fe County had this to say: “He has an absolute duty to know that what is in the gun that is being placed in his hand is safe.”
