Guns have been a part of Hollywood moviemaking since cowboy star Tom Mix rode the silent movie screen. Last week, a tragic accident showed once again why live ammunition and even blanks should be banned in filmmaking.

Actor and producer Alec Baldwin was filming a scene last Thursday in a film he is prociding and starring in. He was handed a gun, which he was told was not loaded with live bullets. The person who gave him the gun was mistaken, and he accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her.

With today’s computer generated image technology, there is no need for guns used in movie making or TV shows to have any capability of firing. Gunshots sounds, muzzle flashes and wisps of gunsmoke can all be added afterward, and most of the time they are, even when blanks are used.

Hutchins is the latest in a group of film actors or technicians who have been killed by guns that weren’t supposed to be loaded, or by blanks that still shot out wadding, or created a deadly concussion.

Industry standards and legislation should be changed to remove this totally unnecessary risk from filmmaking.