[DaFace]

With a heavy caveat that I can't verify that this person knows what they're talking about, here's a good description of typical protocols on a film set (from a random redditor):

So if you are on a production where a blank-firing gun is to be used, the Prop Master and/or Armorer will clear it with production, even down to the details of how many rounds will be shot for the sequence they will be used in.

Fast forward to the day. The Armorer/Licensed Prop Master and potentially a Prop Assistant will bring the weapons under close supervision, often times to the point of bringing a locked cart or gun vault to set. The person assigned to handling the weapon will, themself, check the weapon for blockages or even a loaded chamber. They will ensure the weapon is cleaned and check all firing blanks to ensure they are, in fact, crimped shut rounds with only powder in them. Once this is finished, they will bring the firearm to the First AD or otherwise supervising AD where you, typically with the Director and Actor wielding the weapon, will perform the same checks together.

The AD will have, prior to this check, have held at least one safety meeting, discussing with the entire crew the live gunfire that will be playing that day. The Actor will have, prior to this check, had gun training either on his own or provided to him by Production. This training should have shown him proper gun etiquette, including NEVER pointing a gun (loaded or not) at a crew member or any other human being not involved with the scene. The crew would know not to even look at those weapons funny.

For rehearsals, typically you rehearse with a dry weapon first (no blanks, perhaps even with rubber weapons.) After the motions have been finalized, you may have one or two rehearsals with live gunfire, which everyone on crew would be warned of. During this and every subsequent take, the gun would be checked with the actor and the person supervising the weapon. As far as I’ve done, seen, and been taught, you would check and clear every round with the actor either beforehand or in between each take.

I don’t know why I typed that all out. I think I wanted to just show people that there is a process to make this as safe as possible but to also highlight the fact that it is very, very much prone to human error and there is, at the end of the day, a high amount of trust given to each person in this process. I truly can’t tell where the failure here was…but it is horrific that, through all of these checks, something still happened. Horrific in a strangely personal way.

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