Scary Similarity

 

Much in the news is the tragedy of the death of a member of the crew involved in making the move “Rust.” A news headline today announced that the person who served as the armorer on the set of the movie has been found guilty of a felony, based on the assertion that she was responsible for bringing live ammo onto the set.

Details are vague — but has she admitted bringing live ammo?? Or is there proof that she did? Both irrelevant.

I don't believe that there is a law against ”bringing live ammo ...”

Any legal culpability rests with the person who fired the gun.

I am reminded of an in-service training course I attended in the 1970's while I was a Deputy Sheriff in Victoria. The course was conducted by a reputable agency, and presented at the training facility at Foster Field, where many law enforcement activities were conducted.

In the presentation we were showed some specially prepared “blanks” made by replacing the primer in some empty pistol cartridge cases with shotshell primers. Our instructor demonstrated by firing one of these blanks in a Smith and Wesson revolver. It was loud.

Then we were instructed in the drill that each of the class members was to follow:

“When the carload of drug dealers comes flying by, you are to fire the six blanks in the revolver at the occupants of the car”

I was first in line. The instructor positioned me, and told me that the car would come into sight from my right, driving past me … and I was to shoot at the “drug dealers” in the car.

I accepted the fully functional revolver, loaded with blanks, and swung the cylinder open to confirm that each of the six rounds was a blank, displaying the oversize shot-shell primers — then, while I stood ready, I was thinking …

Even in this make-believe play acting scenario there was no Probable Cause to justify shooting at the “criminals”

And I was definitely NOT gonna shoot at them …

I had to play along with the game to get a passing grade on this training course … but when the car came past at a distance of about twenty feet I quickly “fired” all six blanks, aiming about five feet over, and equally far in front of the passing car. If somehow a live round were to be discharged, it would fly harmlessly into the open range-land beyond the road the car would traverse.

Afterwards I stood nearby while the other members of the class each took their turn.

I had to wonder at the motivations of the “experts” who designed and presented this segment of the course.

The recent tragedy on the “Rust” movie set caused me to remember that long ago segment of my training