Should Real Guns Be Banned On Movie Sets?
The recent petition by Olivia Wilde and others to attempt to enact a ban on real firearms on movie sets—although well intentioned—is lacking in reason. Should real guns be banned on movie sets? Let’s take a look at the facts.
The Associated Press notes in an article published November 20, 2016 that since 1990, 43 people have died on movie sets in the U.S., and that around 150 have been left with permanent injuries. If that number is correct, we can now adjust that number to at least forty-four. On foreign productions outside of the U.S., the article cites that at least thirty-seven persons have died due to accidents on set. The death of Brandon Lee was not even included in the OSCHA report initially due to an alleged “clerical error” by the U.S. government reporting agency.
Yet all of these deaths and accidents, which are far too many to be sure, do not include just firearm deaths. They include all from fires and explosions, drowning in water, car crashes, being hit by a train, being maimed by a saw, falling from tall heights, and even dying from a helicopter crash (Twilight Zone) among more.
As in real life, where no cameras are running, some things can be dangerous, and people need to exercise greater caution in those potentially fatal scenarios. This is true not just of firearms, but of things including those tall heights, water, motor vehicles, planes, helicopters, and sharp objects such as knives among more.
Is the solution for a safer society to ban everything that has killed people and could kill us? No. If this were the case, we would not fly, drive, swim, hike, bike, or even walk outside of the house for that matter. We would also not stay in the house for prolonged periods of time as too much of a sedentary lifestyle without exercise can also kill. In short, if we were to try to ban every risk and danger to life, we would have to stop living. This is clearly no solution.
Firearms in the hands of responsible, well-trained adults are not the problem. The problem is stupid adults who are not trained in firearms, or who are even at times maliciously harmful. This applies not only to everyday life, but also to movies.
What if we banned real firearms on movie sets? What next? Will we then ban real water that a person can drown in? Should we then ban real mountains that a person can fall off of? Ban real fists that can punch a person if they miss during stunt work? Do we ban real trains? Real planes, and real cars? The notion of “banning” real dangers of props or scenery as this is clearly illogical and is not the solution on set, any more than it is in real life.
The solution is to better educate persons on set as to the responsible use of firearms, and to not allow persons to scrimp on safety protocols in effort to lower their budget.
A fearful society is a dangerous society. Those that are competent and brave with logic and reason are the safest to be around.
I’ve never seen a movie in it with Olivia Wilde, but I have seen movies in them with guns. While I’m sure Olivia and others in agreement with her have good intentions, one can recall the maxim; “the road to hell is littered with good intentions.” Good intentions are not enough. Logic and reason are what count. Reactive, fear-based actions do not move society forward. Competency, training, logic, reason, and professionalism gets the job done.
Should real guns be banned on movie sets? Absolutely not. Unless the production company or director wants it. In a free society, it must be up to each individual making the film, and up to those who choose to participate in the creation of that film or show.
Should there be more strict policies on set concerning the safe operation of guns? Absolutely.
The Simple Gun Policy on Set Should be This:
1, If you operate or even touch a firearm on set, you must first pass a firearms safety course, such as one through the NRA.
2, If you operate or even touch a firearm on set, you must be licensed to operate that firearm. If not, you don’t touch it.
3, If you operate or even touch a firearm on set, you cannot have consumed any drugs or alcohol for at least 24 hours, and
4, You must sign a certification that you are rested, alert, and well fed, and
5, No drugs or alcohol should be allowed on any set when firearms are present or near. Lastly,
6, No live ammunition (real bullets) may be allowed on set.
These basic practices can ensure that accidental shootings from guns on set for those who want to use them, do not occur. These should be obvious things. Unfortunately, at least one anti-gun movie star who hypocritically used a real gun on set was uneducated and careless with regard to the proper and safe use of a gun.
Freedom must never be taken away because of the lazy, cheap, stupid and irresponsible who fail to honor and respect freedom in a safe and sane manner.
Art is a reflection of life, and life demands freedom. That freedom includes the right to hold weapons—real weapons and use them safely. Anything less is tyranny, on a movie set, or in real life.
If one goes around banning things every time some careless idiot kills somebody, we will revert back to the stone ages. But remember, even sticks and stones can kill.
Freedom Is Not For Sale
“Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” These words were wisely stated by then President of the United Stated Benjamin Franklin in 1775. Today, 245 years later in the year 2020, these words should serve has a grave reminder to us all.
Since his election, countless “Trump-haters” have cried out against him, warning of their fear that he is a fascist dictator who will institute marshal law. Now that the local, county, state, and federal government actually have instituted major levels of marshal law, those same people are now supporting such draconian marshal law measures including;
1, forcing businesses to close their doors, irreparably destroying businesses, jobs, careers, and lives
2, attempting to force people to wear masks–that the federal government confiscated after first telling us via the CDC that they won’t help us (a lie)
3, fining people who do not walk down a certain side of the sidewalk
4, blocking people from freely traveling from state to state
5, attempting to enact curfews
6, ruining the Christian holiday of Easter and preventing freedom of worship; fining or threatening to arrest church-goers
7, planning to try force vaccinations and force medical cards to be carried–similar to what the Nazi’s did
8, governors stating they will shut down their states (suspend the constitution) even longer than the federal government
9, arresting a man for swimming on the largest open mass on Earth–the Ocean
10, shutting down wide open parks and expansive hiking trails where hikers easily kept distance, despite
nature, fresh air, exercise, and sunshine being some of the best things for health and the immune system
among more.
Assuming the RO factor of Covid19 (Chinese Coronavirus) communicability ratio is correct, and assuming the statistics are correct that approximately 80 percent who contract it have mild to no systems, 20 percent have serious symptoms, 10 percent of those who contract it have severe symptoms, and between 3 to 5 percent of cases are fatal across all demographics, then the logical thing to do would be;
A, let everyone get tested who wants it, and
B, give everyone an N95 NIOSH certified mask who wants one(which are supposed to prevent at least 95% of Covid19 transmission)—assuming those particulate prevention statistics are correct.
Instead, what has American government done? Confiscated not only N95 masks, but confiscated all masks, leaving the American public at greater risk. While there is around 1 car for nearly every approximate 350 million Americans in the U.S., the U.S. government will not aid or allow the creation of the same amount of masks for every American–which costs pennies to produce. This is a disgrace, and the first glaring indicator that the politicians that have prevented every American from having N95 masks and are violating our constitutional rights, actually do NOT care about American lives.
Those to whom freedom and the U.S. constitution means something, must not merely ask for their constitutional rights and freedoms back–they must take them. Freedom and liberty as a free American is not for sale, and not to be relinquished over the latest “public threat,” no matter how long, no matter how great, and no matter how small. Read again those wise words of Benjamin Franklin above. A citizen ready to give up their freedoms for a few months, may easily see that few months turn into a few years, and a few years can turn into the gas chambers. Remember Auschwitz. Remember freedom.
