Lack of gun safety killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust.’ How did this happen?

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by an incident involving a prop gun fired by actor and producer Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie “Rust.” It begs the question: How could this happen?

While it is unclear what type of gun was used in the accident, a deeper look into how firearms used onscreen by characters are handled safely by actors, prop masters and weapons handlers on film and TV productions offers some clues.

Depending on the project’s budget, time constraints and narrative needs, gun use onscreen is depicted in numerous ways. Nonoperational replicas — made of wood, plastic or rubber — are regularly used for scenes filmed at a distance. For closer-range frames, gunfire can be mimicked with the use of Airsoft guns and electric charge guns, said a person familiar with handling props and weapons on sets. Visual and sound effects like muzzle flashes,