BELLEVUE, WA – Actor/Producer Alec Baldwin, who has supported extreme gun control efforts in the past, should have spent more time learning real gun safety instead of subscribing to the false narrative of the gun ban crowd he has previously embraced, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“The investigation is still in progress, and there is lots of speculation floating around,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “What is not speculation is that Baldwin bears responsibility as the film’s producer as well as its star, because he evidently did not personally check the gun he was handling to confirm there was not a live round in the cylinder. He did not follow the first rule of genuine gun safety, which is that all guns are always loaded.

“Baldwin has handled guns in previous films,” Gottlieb continued, “so he can’t claim inexperience. He should know live ammunition is not supposed to be on the set, and nobody but the armorer and the actors should have access to any of the prop guns. As the film’s producer, he should have made that absolutely clear to the crew. It’s not clear who put the cartridge into Baldwin’s gun, but there is now a report that some crew members were target shooting with the gun off-set, which should never have been allowed. Hollywood anti-gunners often rail about keeping guns locked up, but that obviously didn’t happen here. Still, any responsible person knows enough to personally check any firearm they’ve just been handed, even if he or she is told the gun is not loaded.”

Killed in this tragic incident was cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, while director Joel Souza was wounded. Gottlieb said CCRKBA offers sincere condolences and prayers to their families.

“This horrible tragedy underscores the importance of genuine firearm safety as advocated and practiced by gun rights organizations, firearms instructors and responsible American gun owners for generations,” Gottlieb said. “We’ve noticed there has not been a peep from the gun control lobby, which portrays itself as the pillar of ‘gun safety,’ and with which Baldwin has previously aligned himself.

“It’s too bad those groups don’t teach actual gun safety instead of using the term ‘safety’ as a substitute for ‘ban,’” he said.

“Prop guns are real firearms,” he added. “All gun safety rules apply, period. The investigation should determine who loaded Baldwin’s gun with a live round, and who should have checked it but didn’t. However, the ultimate responsibility is in his hands, for it was his thumb that cocked the revolver and his finger that pressed the trigger. Baldwin should never again engage in attacks on genuine gun safety organizations when he has failed to practice what he has preached.

“Hollywood is full of hypocrites who have made billions of dollars producing movies depicting violence with firearms, and then support efforts to restrict the rights of honest citizens,” Gottlieb stated. “What this tragedy underscores is that Hollywood hypocrisy kills.”