Alec Baldwin on trial for Manslaughter

Alec Baldwin faces a Manslaughter trial for the tragic, unnecessary death in that highly publicized incident on a movie set.

Baldwin attempts to shift the blame to the armorer who presented the gun to him. He insists he was told that the gun was unloaded.

It is arguable that the armorer should have unloaded the gun before presenting it. 

 But that did not relieve Baldwin of the responsibility to verify that it was in fact unloaded.

Defensive driving has been a staple in high schools for years  — because we want to teach the skills and awareness that may save the lives of our children when they drive their cars.

Additionally, I insist that basic firearms safety should be included in every high school curriculum.  Not to encourage the students to take up shooting as a hobby. But, recognizing the need imposed by the fact that there are millions of guns in American society, to instill in our youth the rules and fundamentals of gun safety.

The most important rule is “Treat every gun as if it is loaded.”  A corollary of equal importance is “Never point a gun at anyone.”

When anyone picks up a gun — or is handed a gun — the immediate requirement is to check the gun to see if it is loaded.

In context, these two rules would have prevented the “accident” for which Baldwin is probably going to prison.