What the ever-loving frak??!!
Multiple sources connected to the production of the film told TMZ that the gun was fired at off-the-clock gatherings – which could explain how a live round found its way into the gun’s chamber.
Another source who was on set told the outlet that when cops arrived they found live ammo and blank rounds stored in the same area, where the fatal mix-up could have occurred.
Fail #1: They shouldn't have been using a functional firearm in the first place. There are plenty of letter-perfect replicas available that will only chamber and fire blanks. At the very least, have any real firearms modified by the several competent movie-industry gunsmiths so they function with blank cartridges only.
Fail #2: If a real firearm was allowed on set, there should have been only two people allowed to handle it... the armorer and the actor during the scene. At all other times it should be locked securely away and access strictly limited to one or two qualified and experienced individuals.
Fail #3: If a functional firearm was being used on set, the gun shouldn't have been loaded with live ammo at all, for any reason, at any time during production.
Fail #4: If the gun really was being used for target practice, the prop master should have cleared it at least three times after use. Once before it went back into the production inventory, second when it was pulled from inventory and readied for a scene, and third when it was assigned to the actor for that scene.
Fail #5: At no time should live rounds be allowed
anywhere on the set. For any reason. Ever.
Sounds like this wasn't a simple single point of failure, but rather an entire three-ring circus of it. Absolutely inexcusable.
Brad