So now Alec said that he didn't pull the trigger. It didn't go off by itself. One thing that has already happened out of this, between Alec Baldwin and the DA in the Rittenhouse trial, is that non gun people are starting to understand that you don't point a gun at anything you don't intend to kill/shoot, and to keep your finger off the trigger.
This film takes place in the 1880's. The sidearm in question was most almost certainly a single action revolver (if period correct). That means not only did the trigger have to be pulled, the hammer would have had to have been cocked prior.
Let's say he actually didn't pull the trigger and the gun fired itself. I don't think that's what happened, but let's put reality aside for a second. Prior to the weapon discharging somebody would have had to have handed him a cocked single action (huge red flag moment, no one with any firearms knowledge would ever hand over or receive a weapon in condition 0)....or he would have had to have cocked it himself (another huge red flag moment). So, even he didn't pull the trigger, he was still extremely negligent.
Karma. Kind of like this guy: Pay attention when he starts saying how he is the only one qualified in the room to have a gun.
Yup, he said in the interview that I heard that he pulled the hammer back and when he left go it went off Alec Baldwin Describes Moment Gun Fired Fatal Shot: 'I Let Go of the Hammer, the Gun Goes Off'
Sounds like he didn't fully cock it and let 'er eat. That's why old timers didn't carry those with a round under the hammer. If you snagged the hammer on something you'd get a hole in your foot.
Yes. Or, he had the trigger pulled and released the hammer. That is one method of rapid fire (fanning) with a revolver. Hold the trigger and peel the hammer back with your other hand.
Pretty much. If you pull the hammer back far enough it will engage the sear and lock back...then only the trigger mechanism can release the sear and drop the hammer. If you pull it back without engaging the sear and rapidly let the hammer fall, that basically has the same effect as pulling the trigger.
Yep. You are pulling against the spring that is designed to make the primer go off. If you don't pull it back until it clicks, it will click a lot louder when it returns to where the spring pulls it. Edit. The original pistols were like this. Replicas apparently have an extra detent built in to make them safer.
