‘I Didn’t Pull the Trigger’

 

Really? That seems unlikely. I mean, that’s how guns work: it’s amazing how unlikely they are to fire if someone’s finger isn’t on the trigger. So, while it’s possible that Mr. Baldwin didn’t pull the trigger, there is about a zero percent probability that he didn’t pull the trigger.

Of course, he didn’t pull the trigger.

(Interesting note: There is such a thing as a possible event that has a zero probability of occurring. Math is an endless buffet.)

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, DA John Chisolm didn’t pull the trigger when his soft-on-crime bail policies let serial felon Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. out on $1,000 bail less than a month ago when he assaulted and then drove his vehicle into his girlfriend. His mobility restored, Mr. Brooks then committed mass murder and put another few dozen folks into the hospital when he plowed into a Christmas parade last week in Waukesha. (The SUV, of course, receives top billing, since Mr. Brooks is, by virtue of his hue, not useful as an example of America’s purported White Supremacist problem. For what it’s worth, the SUV wasn’t white either.)

Meanwhile, in the City of Brotherly Love and record-breaking homicide, DA Larry Krasner didn’t pull the trigger when he knocked the bail down from $200,000 to zero and then dropped all charges against (alleged) violent serial criminal Latif Williams. Mr. Williams wasted no time in making good on his inexplicable freedom by (allegedly) murdering Tulane Temple University student Samuel Collington three days ago, while attempting to steal the young man’s SUV and shooting him twice because Mr. Collington was reluctant to surrender the vehicle (which belonged to his mother).

Unlike Kyle Rittenhouse, neither Mr. Brooks nor Mr. Williams is a nerdy little white kid carrying a scary gun. They’re just a couple of guys who can’t stay out of trouble, but who manage to stay out of jail thanks to the generosity of prominent Democratic DAs who are more concerned about being woke than doing their jobs.

2022 is coming.

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  1. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    The DA’s should pull the trigger more ofent. 

    • #31
  2. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    My understanding is that he was aiming at the director and camera operator on a film set.  Seems there would be file of this event.

    • #32
  3. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    According to a statement from the script manager in a lawsuit that she has filed against Mr. Baldwin, he cocked the gun even though the scene did not call for the gun to be used. There have been some reports that live ammunition had been mixed with blanks, and two earlier accidental discharges did take place on the set.

    There have been suggestions from some in Hollywood that police officers should be hired to act as an armorer on movie, or television sets. I doubt that any active member of a law enforcement agency would be allowed to do this for liability reasons.  

    • #33
  4. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    There have been suggestions from some in Hollywood that police officers should be hired to act as an armorer on movie, or television sets. I doubt that any active member of a law enforcement agency would be allowed to do this for liability reasons.

    I heard the same.  It is a silly notion.  The skill sets are different.  An armorer should know more about guns than any cop does.  It is amazing how much the Left hates police and then also wants them to do everything.  

    • #34
  5. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    In the end, does anybody expect any jail time for Baldwin? I don’t.

    Yes. Not going to make it easy for him by not expecting it. 

    • #35
  6. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    DoubleDare (View Comment):

    If he was practicing drawing from a holster quickly and cocking the hammer at the same time, which is a likely scenario since that’s what gunfighters had to do with that pistol, it’s a real possibility.

    Agreed – if that’s what happened, it still doesn’t exonerate him.

    That’s what my college-age nephew did. Shot himself in the leg with a Ruger Bearcat .22 single-action revolver that I had loaned him.

    • #36
  7. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    I say this not to defend Krasner generally – he may be terrible at his job – but in this case this Williams kid’s freedom is likely very explicable.

    All, DAV’s comment (follow the link) was a good one, and likely correct: my third example of “not pulling the trigger” probably wasn’t very good. I’ll eventually go back and review the case, and Krasner’s record in general, and decide whether I need to correct the post. But, in the meantime, and in the interest of accuracy, I wanted to acknowledge DAV’s point.

    • #37
  8. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    And what type of gun was Baldwin holding? Judging from the year the story’s set in, it would have been single action. So who cocked the hammer?

    Another reason I don’t like striker fired pistols: you can’t tell if they’re cocked.

    As far as I can tell, they’re always cocked.

    • #38
  9. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    DoubleDare (View Comment):

    There’s a thread going in the Firing Line group on this.

    Apparently it was an Italian copy of a Colt Single Action Army revolver. Before you can fire a Colt Single Action Army, you have to manually cock the hammer.

    I’ve only ever fired modern revolvers, so I don’t have direct experience. But I’ve read in a few places that it’s possible to partially cock the hammer of a Single Action Army so that when you let it go, expecting it to stay in position, it instead falls back down and fires the pistol.

    If that’s what happened, I still don’t think it exonerates Baldwin because he apparently didn’t check the cylinder for live rounds and he pointed the pistol at the camera crew – both exceedingly negligent.

    But he may be telling the truth about not pulling the trigger.

    I don’t know specifically about this Colt, but I have used revolvers that half cocked.  Half cocking, you feel a click half-way through pulling back on the hammer and when you release the hammer it stays half-cocked.  If you didn’t pull the hammer back far enough for it to half-cock, or some reason the hammer did not stay securely half-cocked, you would merely let the hammer down.

    If there were a flaw in the half-cock sear, this would be evident on examination.

    • #39
  10. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    And what type of gun was Baldwin holding? Judging from the year the story’s set in, it would have been single action. So who cocked the hammer?

    Another reason I don’t like striker fired pistols: you can’t tell if they’re cocked.

    As far as I can tell, they’re always cocked.

    Depends on the weapon. On double-action-only handguns (and many striker-fired pistols are DAO), it isn’t cocked until you pull the trigger. On my favorite striker-fired pistol, the HK P7M8, the striker protrudes through the back of the slide to give you a visible confirmation that the gun is cocked (which it will be if you’re firmly gripping the handle).

    Having said that, I continue to believe that the best defensive handgun for normal people is a double-action revolver.

    • #40
  11. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Nohaaj (View Comment):

    Weren’t they filming this? If so, wouldn’t there be high def film, possibly from multiple angles? Lots of speculation, when their is likely good evidence to review.

    What I read at the time, is that the scene had to be reshot, and Baldwin made a wise crack about shooting them rather than reshoot the scene.  If there was film of it, I think we’d have heard about it.

    • #41
  12. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Percival (View Comment):

    A single action revolver fires if the hammer falls on a loaded cylinder. That is why the Army usually loaded the 1875 with an empty cylinder under the hammer. If the hammer falls because your thumb slides off before it catches and that fires a round, that is known as “going off half-cocked.”

    So this Colt didn’t have a half-cocked position?

    • #42
  13. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Doug Kimball (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    And what type of gun was Baldwin holding? Judging from the year the story’s set in, it would have been single action. So who cocked the hammer?

    Twice?

    Were there two shots fired?  I hadn’t heard that.  I read that it was a single through and through, that struck two people.

    • #43
  14. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    From Wiki on the Colt Single Action Army:

    The safety notch replaced pins on the rear of the percussion revolver cylinders, which served the same purpose as the safety position, by preventing hammer contact with the primer/percussion cap. However, many users adopted the practice of leaving one empty chamber under the hammer, because a sharp blow could damage the mechanism and allow a fully loaded revolver to fire. This practice is now universally recommended.  Drawn back about half way, the hammer engages the second notch. This cams the cylinder bolt out of engagement and allows the cylinder to rotate for loading. Fully cocked, the revolver is ready to fire. Cartridge ejection is via the spring-loaded rod housed in a tube on the right side of the barrel.

    And remember, drawing the hammer back rotates the cylinder simultaneously so that only partially pulling the hammer back only partially rotates the cylinder, and letting the hammer fall during this process, at the worst, would let the hammer fall on some area of the back of the cylinder other than the cartridge primer.

    • #44
  15. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    And what type of gun was Baldwin holding? Judging from the year the story’s set in, it would have been single action. So who cocked the hammer?

    Another reason I don’t like striker fired pistols: you can’t tell if they’re cocked.

    As far as I can tell, they’re always cocked.

    Depends on the weapon. On double-action-only handguns (and many striker-fired pistols are DAO), it isn’t cocked until you pull the trigger. On my favorite striker-fired pistol, the HK P7M8, the striker protrudes through the back of the slide to give you a visible confirmation that the gun is cocked (which it will be if you’re firmly gripping the handle).

    Having said that, I continue to believe that the best defensive handgun for normal people is a double-action revolver.

    Well, I was referring to single-action striker pistols, and more specifically to the Glocks.  Is there any way on any single-action striker pistols that you know of, to chamber a round, and then uncock the pistol?

    • #45
  16. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    The whole argument is silly.  We all know how this is going to go down.  They will review all info and evidence and dismiss anything that makes AB look bad and let him off as it just being a gun related accident that he was unfortunate enough to be in the area of.  OF course, AB may have to give a donation to these folks families out of the goodness of his heart.

     

    • #46
  17. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    If you chamber a round on a Glock the pistol is ready to fire. The only way I know of to “uncock” the Glock is to eject the round by pulling the slide all the way back. The slide should lock open after the round is ejected. The magazine must be empty, or removed before pulling the slide back or you will chamber another round if it contains rounds.

    • #47
  18. Douglas Pratt Coolidge
    Douglas Pratt
    @DouglasPratt

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    The whole argument is silly. We all know how this is going to go down. They will review all info and evidence and dismiss anything that makes AB look bad and let him off as it just being a gun related accident that he was unfortunate enough to be in the area of. OF course, AB may have to give a donation to these folks families out of the goodness of his heart.

     

    Of course it’s silly, but those of us who love guns also love to discuss them in excruciating detail. Many of us are also personally offended when a firearm is misused. I know I am.

    • #48
  19. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    As I understand it, when a single-action revolver has the hammer cocked there is a small area called the sear that locks it in place. The distance between safety and failure is where the red and the blue meet on this picture:

    From what I’ve read about this film the budgets were very, very tight. That calls into question the maintenance of the fire arm. I’ve read some posts that suggest a failing sear can be felt when shooting several rounds before breaking, that the trigger feels wonky and the gun is hard to control. I doubt very seriously if Baldwin had much of a history, if any, with this particular firearm.

    If it was a sear failure this was an accident waiting to happen.

    • #49
  20. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    If you chamber a round on a Glock the pistol is ready to fire. The only way I know of to “uncock” the Glock is to eject the round by pulling the slide all the way back. The slide should lock open after the round is ejected. The magazine must be empty, or removed before pulling the slide back or you will chamber another round if it contains rounds.

    That’s why I can’t stand a Glock.  My preference is old-school S&W 59.  If there’s a round in the chamber and it is cocked, you can simply engage the safety, and the hammer comes down and hits a hammer block.  It’s now ready for double action.  (This is probably surer than holding the hammer back, pulling the trigger, and then lowering the hammer manually.)

    • #50
  21. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    EJHill (View Comment):

    As I understand it, when a single-action revolver has the hammer cocked there is a small area called the sear that locks it in place. The distance between safety and failure is where the red and the blue meet on this picture:

    From what I’ve read about this film the budgets were very, very tight. That calls into question the maintenance of the fire arm. I’ve read some posts that suggest a failing sear can be felt when shooting several rounds before breaking, that the trigger feels wonky and the gun is hard to control. I doubt very seriously if Baldwin had much of a history, if any, with this particular firearm.

    If it was a sear failure this was an accident waiting to happen.

    If it’s a sear failure, it’s provable by an inspection.

    • #51
  22. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Sorry, I just can’t resist.

    Stephanopoulos: Your emotions are so right out there.  And you’re not that good an actor.  How do you do it?

    Baldwin: Halyna’s death is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.  In my whole life.

     

    • #52
  23. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Douglas Pratt (View Comment):

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    The whole argument is silly. We all know how this is going to go down. They will review all info and evidence and dismiss anything that makes AB look bad and let him off as it just being a gun related accident that he was unfortunate enough to be in the area of. OF course, AB may have to give a donation to these folks families out of the goodness of his heart.

     

    Of course it’s silly, but those of us who love guns also love to discuss them in excruciating detail. Many of us are also personally offended when a firearm is misused. I know I am.

    I am definitely a gun guy.  Guess my issue is it just pisses me off all the lying that will be done about this and in the end they will let him off because he is a liberal and not because of anything that happened or laws.   

    • #53
  24. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    Douglas Pratt (View Comment):

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    The whole argument is silly. We all know how this is going to go down. They will review all info and evidence and dismiss anything that makes AB look bad and let him off as it just being a gun related accident that he was unfortunate enough to be in the area of. OF course, AB may have to give a donation to these folks families out of the goodness of his heart.

     

    Of course it’s silly, but those of us who love guns also love to discuss them in excruciating detail. Many of us are also personally offended when a firearm is misused. I know I am.

    I am definitely a gun guy. Guess my issue is it just pisses me off all the lying that will be done about this and in the end they will let him off because he is a liberal and not because of anything that happened or laws.

    They could make up for the injustice by confiscating more guns from law-abiding citizens. 

    • #54
  25. Ole Summers Member
    Ole Summers
    @OleSummers

    Despite all the discussion of it may or not being a single action Colt used, friends who have been stunt doubles in several films tell me that it is standard practice for each person who handles a gun to check themselves, even after a “cold gun” call has been sounded. You still check the ammo wheel yourself and then continue. If these guys think that is standard practice to always check it yourself, one would certainly think someone who has been around the industry his whole life would know better. (regardless of the gun used)

    I was struck the other day when watching a DVD of “The Alamo” made in the 90s and in one of sections on the making of the film you see all the ways the armorer handled the hundreds of weapons in the battle reenactments and how professional it was – hundreds and hundreds of rounds being fired at the same time and no problems 

    • #55
  26. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    And what type of gun was Baldwin holding? Judging from the year the story’s set in, it would have been single action. So who cocked the hammer?

    Another reason I don’t like striker fired pistols: you can’t tell if they’re cocked.

    As far as I can tell, they’re always cocked.

    Depends on the weapon. On double-action-only handguns (and many striker-fired pistols are DAO), it isn’t cocked until you pull the trigger. On my favorite striker-fired pistol, the HK P7M8, the striker protrudes through the back of the slide to give you a visible confirmation that the gun is cocked (which it will be if you’re firmly gripping the handle).

    Having said that, I continue to believe that the best defensive handgun for normal people is a double-action revolver.

    When I did the shooting part of my CCW test, I used a K frame .38 Special.  They made me shoot it double action; I didn’t like it.  I have a SAO Ruger Vaquero also.  I asked them what they would have done if that’s what I’d brought to do the test.  They said they wouldn’t have let me use it.

    • #56
  27. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    And what type of gun was Baldwin holding? Judging from the year the story’s set in, it would have been single action. So who cocked the hammer?

    Another reason I don’t like striker fired pistols: you can’t tell if they’re cocked.

    As far as I can tell, they’re always cocked.

    Depends on the weapon. On double-action-only handguns (and many striker-fired pistols are DAO), it isn’t cocked until you pull the trigger. On my favorite striker-fired pistol, the HK P7M8, the striker protrudes through the back of the slide to give you a visible confirmation that the gun is cocked (which it will be if you’re firmly gripping the handle).

    Having said that, I continue to believe that the best defensive handgun for normal people is a double-action revolver.

    Well, I was referring to single-action striker pistols, and more specifically to the Glocks. Is there any way on any single-action striker pistols that you know of, to chamber a round, and then uncock the pistol?

    I don’t know.  I think I’ve sold all my striker fired pistols.

    • #57
  28. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    If you chamber a round on a Glock the pistol is ready to fire. The only way I know of to “uncock” the Glock is to eject the round by pulling the slide all the way back. The slide should lock open after the round is ejected. The magazine must be empty, or removed before pulling the slide back or you will chamber another round if it contains rounds.

    That’s why I can’t stand my Glock. My preference is old-school S&W 59. If there’s a round in the chamber and it is cocked, you can simply engage the safety, and the hammer comes down and hits a hammer block. It’s now ready for double action. (This is probably surer than holding the hammer back, pulling the trigger, and then lowering the hammer manually.)

    Several of my pistols have decockers.

    • #58
  29. DaveSchmidt Coolidge
    DaveSchmidt
    @DaveSchmidt

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    There have been suggestions from some in Hollywood that police officers should be hired to act as an armorer on movie, or television sets. I doubt that any active member of a law enforcement agency would be allowed to do this for liability reasons.

    I heard the same. It is a silly notion. The skill sets are different. An armorer should know more about guns than any cop does. It is amazing how much the Left hates police and then also wants them to do everything.

    They have a certain affection for the under-the-table gig economy.

    • #59
  30. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    If you chamber a round on a Glock the pistol is ready to fire. The only way I know of to “uncock” the Glock is to eject the round by pulling the slide all the way back. The slide should lock open after the round is ejected. The magazine must be empty, or removed before pulling the slide back or you will chamber another round if it contains rounds.

    That’s why I can’t stand my Glock. My preference is old-school S&W 59. If there’s a round in the chamber and it is cocked, you can simply engage the safety, and the hammer comes down and hits a hammer block. It’s now ready for double action. (This is probably surer than holding the hammer back, pulling the trigger, and then lowering the hammer manually.)

    Several of my pistols have decockers.

    But you don’t have any striker pistols.  May I ask, why not?

    • #60
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