Friends Don't Let Friends...
Intrigued by a recent comment from Alec Baldwin regarding his fatal shooting of the cinematographer on his movie set….“she was my friend”…I ended up commenting on a social media thread referencing his statement by joking, “if that’s how he treats his friends.” Naturally, my comment drew the ire of another commenter who pointed out that “he didn’t kill her intentionally.”
“Rust” movie set, where the shooting occurred.
Of course not.
I did not say…and I don’t believe…that Alec Baldwin killed her intentionally. What I do believe is that at the very least he behaved recklessly in the presence of his friend, and that his behavior caused her death. There are, of course, very specific legal definitions of words like “reckless,” and I’m sure those specifics will be hashed out by the authorities.
But consider this: What if…instead of pointing a gun at his friend and pulling the trigger…she had been riding in a car with him? What if he was driving drunk at a high rate of speed, crashed the car and killed her that way? Would people be quite so eager to excuse him?
Imagine the actor drunk at the wheel, speeding down the road with his helpless friend in the passenger seat, and most will have no problem blaming him for her death in a violent car crash. (How many parents have warned teenaged children not to ride with a friend who has been drinking?) While there are entire organizations dedicated to ending the behavior of drunk driving, they don’t suggest that the car is at fault, nor do they excuse the behavior simply because cars are inherently dangerous. In fact, their entire message centers around the idea that dangerous tools like cars demand extra care on the part of the user.
I think at least some of the impulse to defend Alec Baldwin comes from the fact that a gun was involved. Among those who do not understand and dislike them, there is an almost reflexive urge to excuse Baldwin’s unsafe behavior because to them, guns are at best mysterious and at worst, inherently evil. They tend to expect a bad outcome when a gun is involved, and are unsurprised when it occurs.
Maybe a better response would be to take a cue from the anti-drunk driving movement, and work to correct irresponsible and unsafe behavior with firearms with education and strict adherence to the Four Rules of Gun Safety:
Treat all guns as if they were loaded.
Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
Keep your finger off of the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made a decision to fire.
Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
Had Alec Baldwin followed these rules, he would not be mourning a friend and carrying the burden of her death. Because friends don’t let friends violate the Four Rules.
