Just a Disgusted Little Rant

 I've always been under the impression people attain qualifications or knowledge after the requisite study and due assessment, or otherwise via osmosis. But over the past week, everybody seems to have drawn on innate knowledge and - hey, presto! - looky here, maw, we done got us a dagnab true load of ballistics experts. No, I don't know why I'm attempting to type in a phonetic Appalachian patois, either. 

I refer to, of course, the tragic on-set incident involving Alec Baldwin and the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. 'Why was he pointing a gun at her?' 'Why was there a live round on set?' 'Who's the armourer?' 'How can a blank kill someone?' The aforementioned are a cross-reference of the overriding tone of the questions and demands. Here's the thing where I'm concerned: I don't know. I can hypothesise and say stuff I DO sort of know, like:

1. A 'blank' can kill someone if fired at close enough range. Remember Jon-Erik Hexum, the actor who died after fartarsing with a blanks-loaded handgun in a mock game of Russian roulette in 1984? 

2. I don't know if the bullet in the weapon fired by Baldwin was a blank or real one, but I'm more than happy to let the inquiry that surely must transpire take its due course. 

3. There's a good chance Baldwin was directed to perform an actor-facing-camera shot, and the cinematographer and director were standing behind camera. From what I understand of filmmaking, this is pretty common. 

4. There's every chance Baldwin is devastated about this and my heart goes out to him, and the family of Ms Hutchins. 

People have predictably been making unpleasant or snide comments about it, and while I will own up to having a crook sense of humour at times, I just cannot joke about something like this. I'm glad, because that would put me in the same league as Donald Trump Jnr, who has been selling online tee-shirts with the epithet: Guns don't kill people. Alec Baldwin kills people. Seriously, Trump-Spawn, what the fuck is wrong with you? Did Baldwin lampoon your shitgibbon father once too often for your liking? A woman lost her life in this incident, and all you can do is make foul humour of it. Still, given you get a boner when you shoot wildlife, I shouldn't be surprised. 

Oh well, study awaits.