![Burbank Candlelight Vigil for Halyna Hutchins held at IATSE Local 80 in Burbank, CA on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IatseVigil118913-H-2021.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1)
In the wake of Halyna Hutchins’ tragic Oct. 21 death after a shooting on the set of Rust, a group of prominent cinematographers is calling for the entertainment industry to ban “functional firearms” on productions.
In a letter disseminated on Tuesday, directors of photography including Rachel Morrison (Black Panther), Bradford Young (Arrival) and Dana Gonzales (Fargo) wrote, “We are Halyna Hutchins’ fellow directors of photography and we vow to not let her death be in vain. We are calling for immediate action from our union leadership, our producers and our lawmakers to affect unified change on our behalf: BAN all FUNCTIONAL FIREARMS on set.”
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American Society of Cinematographers president Stephen Lighthill (She Spies), Greig Fraser (Dune), M. David Mullen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Mandy Walker (Mulan) also are among the roughly 200 cinematographers who signed the letter (each as individuals, rather than representatives of an organization or guild.)
The cinematographers went one step further and vowed they will no longer “knowingly work on projects using FUNCTIONAL FIREARMS for filming purposes.” Instead, they are opting for the safer solutions of using non-functional weapons for filming and/or adding firearm-like visuals using visual effects.
“We won’t sit back and wait for the industry to change. We have a duty to effect change within the industry ourselves,” the letter continues, exhorting other cinematographers to also sign the letter.
The letter follows calls from other major industry names to change the way firearms are used on set. On Oct. 22, The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley said the series would no longer use “live” weapons on set, while director Olivia Wilde and actor Holland Taylor have expressed support for a petition to “ban real firearms on set.”
In late October, California Democratic state senator and chair of the California Senate’s Labor Committee Dave Cortese said in a statement that he will soon introduce legislation to ban live ammunition and firearms that can fire live ammunition from productions in the state. “There is an urgent need to address alarming work abuses and safety violations occurring on the set of theatrical productions, including unnecessary high-risk conditions such as the use of live firearms,” Cortese said in a statement.
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