The only time I recall firing a gun was when Reed got a new .22 calibre rifle.

This was when we were living on South Race Street, and my grandparents, Reed’s parents, were just two doors up the street from us on the other side of Rufe Robinson’s house.

Reed wanted to try out his new .22, so he and I along with one or two other kids went to the dump, or what we used to call the dump. It was actually a quarry, sitting down the alley just a bit beyond the shoe factory. I had always been forbidden to go there when I was younger, though that had never stopped me, but I was older now and the prohibition was seemingly no longer in force.

Anyway, we got to the dump (or quarry) and Reed loaded his .22 rifle and started to take aim at a rock or something that seemed like a handy target, when suddenly he froze.

“See that!” he cried, pointing to a gap formed by two rocks.

And see it we did.

It was a snake!

And not some little old garter snake either. It was a full sized snake. I don’t know if it was a poisonous one, but in my memory it looks like a coral snake, but it couldn’t have been, as coral snakes aren’t found that far north. Whatever it was, it was a real snake.

Had I known that snakes inhabited the dump (or quarry), I would never have been so eager to ignore my parents warning about not playing there when I was younger.

In any case Reed took aim and shot at it.

I don’t think he hit it, but the sound or the vibration of the shot must have scared it, as it crawled back into the gap between the rocks.

Reed fired off a few more rounds, then he let each of us have a try.

When it was my turn, I don’t recall if my shot hit what I was aiming at, but probably not.

That’s the only time I’ve ever fired a gun, or even held one in my hands, as far as I can recall.

But I have a great respect for the power of guns. I’m not sure whether it was Reed who drilled it into me, or perhaps I learned it at Boy Scouts, but one thing I do know about firearms: you never—ever—point a weapon at anyone unless you plan to fire it. Doesn’t matter if it isn’t loaded or if the safety is on, you just don’t point a gun at a person. Ever.

It’s just something that I know, something that somebody at sometime drilled into me.

Jump cut to 2021, to the fatal shooting on the movie set of Rust where live ammunition somehow found its way into a revolver that Alec Baldwin fired and that killed the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

My initial take on that shooting was that Baldwin didn’t load the revolver and thus didn’t realize there was live ammunition in it. Therefore, he should not be charged with manslaughter.

But after thinking it over and after reading an opinion piece by Kay Larsen, a military technical adviser, documentary producer, and stunt performer who served for 13 years as an officer in the Navy SEALs, I’ve changed my mind.

Baldwin should not have have been aiming that revolver at anyone; he should have been more careful with a gun, any gun, loaded with blanks or not. Had he been rehearsing or filming a scene where he aimed the gun at another actor that he was supposed to shoot in the scene, then fine. But no. He was careless. He didn’t observe the primary rule of firearms. Don’t point a gun at another person. Ever. Unless you plan to shoot them.

Had Alec Baldwin not carelessly, thoughtlessly, recklessly, waved his gun in the direction of Halyna Hutchins, whether he believed it to be loaded with blanks or not, she would still be alive. As the producer of the movie he should have known better, and he should have set an example for the rest of the crew.

So yes, Alec Baldwin should be charged and tried for involuntary manslaughter.