BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS

Absent ‘Armorer Mentor’ Supplied ‘Rust’ Weapons: Report

Six sources told the Los Angeles Times that Seth Kenney supplied the low-budget Western with its weapons, despite reportedly not being present on set.

To mentor the film’s “green” head armorer, producers on Rust reportedly brought on a second weapons expert, who may have supplied the low-budget Western with the Colt .45 used by Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. According to The Los Angeles Times, six people familiar with the matter said 51-year-old Seth Kenney supplied Rust with its guns. Two said that Kenney provided the Colt revolver fired by Baldwin on Oct. 21. Kenney suggested Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for Rust’s armorer gig, according to a source close to the production. An internal crew list shared with the Times named Kenney as “armorer mentor” to Gutierrez-Reed, whose lack of professional experience raised alarm bells on previous film shoots.

However, several crew members said that they didn’t recall ever seeing Kenney on the New Mexico set. Longtime prop masters and armorers told the Times they’d never heard of an “armorer mentor” position, with one explaining a more common title would be “armorer assistant” for the junior figure. It remains unclear what, if any, ammunition Kenney may have supplied to the film. Last week, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers suggested that the live rounds had been placed on set by someone looking to “sabotage” the production.