What is a prop gun? Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ movie set turns deadly

All eyes are on actor Alec Baldwin after authorities say he shot and killed a cinematographer, and injured another crew member on a Sante Fe, New Mexico movie set Thursday. Baldwin was using a prop gun during the filming of a scene of the western film ‘Rust’. Authorities say cinematographer Haylna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured.

On Friday morning, Baldwin sent out a series of tweets to offer condolences to Hutchins’s family.

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/1451572461787439106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1451572461787439106%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fentertainment%2Flive-news%2Falec-baldwin-movie-set-shooting-10-22-21%2Findex.html

He also offered his full cooperation with local authorities.

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/1451573351588106246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1451573351588106246%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fentertainment%2Flive-news%2Falec-baldwin-movie-set-shooting-10-22-21%2Findex.html

While this is not the first movie incident involving a prop gun death, the tragic incident has many asking, how did a prop gun turn deadly?

A big misconception is that prop guns are not real guns. The term can refer to a weapon that is no longer functional or even a child’s toy gun, the term also encompasses a real gun used as a prop.

The only difference between a prop gun and a real one is its use on a movie set. The use of bullets inside a chamber of a prop gun are blanks and do not have a bullet, but still give off the impression of a shot being fired.

The circumstances of the shooting are under investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.