Alec Baldwin must be the smartest idiot on the planet and the following statement proves he has no clue or ever been properly trained on handling a gun. According to the ABC interview he explained that the gun went off when he cocked the hammer and then let go—hence the assertion that he never actually pulled the trigger. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them," he said. “Never, ever. That was the training I had.” He also said, "Someone is responsible for what happened but it wasn't him." Again, proper weapons training repeatedly states, you are responsible for the weapon in your hands. He bears some responsibility.

*The gun was a single action revolver, if you pull the hammer back, either fully cocked or half cocked, it should lock. The only way to release it is to pull the trigger. You can rapid fire a gun by half cocking the hammer and releasing it while holding the trigger.. Remember the old westerns where the cowboy is holding the gun with one hand and using the palm of his other hand to rapid fire the gun using the hammer with the trigger in the back position. In fanning a gun, you need to hold the trigger in the back position. If for some reason you pull the hammer back and the locking mechanism fails and does not lock the hammer in the back position, you have fired the gun. If the hammer is locked in the back position and you release it quickly and allow it to hit the compression cap, it will fire. The only way to release it once it's cocked is to slowly lower the hammer down while pointing the barrel of the gun away from anyone or anything and regulate the trigger tension. It would be easy to test. Does the locking mechanism on the gun work? If it works, he dropped the hammer too quickly and fired due to his incompetence. Or his thumb slipped off the hammer before it reached the locking mechanism and the weapon discharged or he haphazardly released the hammer and it is the likely scenario. Again, whether it had live rounds or blanks, every gun safety class I have ever attended, clearly, repeatedly, explicitly stated, “Treat every gun as if it is loaded and never point a firearm at anyone or anything unless you are prepared to use it. Never cock the hammer or place your finger on the trigger or inside the trigger guard unless you are ready to fire the weapon.” He probably won't be held criminally responsible, but he will be sued civilly and should be. At the end of the day, it was his responsibility and his statement above just sealed his fate in a civil lawsuit.