Angelina Jolie has revealed she is 'always careful' and follows gun procedure on set following Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting accident on the set of his film Rust.
The actress, 46, weighed in on the tragic incident after the actor, 63, was given a loaded gun, which he shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with, as well as injuring director Joel Souza.
Angelina, who has worked with guns on set on many occassions both as an actor and director, said that 'certain procedures' have to be taken 'very seriously', when asked about the accident during a recent interview with The Times.
Opinion: Angelina Jolie has revealed she is 'always careful' and follows gun procedure on set following Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting accident on the set of his film Rust (pictured Salt 2010)
The Eternals star, said: 'I can't imagine what these families are going through. At this moment, the grief and the tragedy of that accident is quite overwhelming.
'I've always been very careful because I've had to work with guns a lot. The way I've worked or checked when I'm directing, there are certain procedures. You have to take it very seriously.'
Angelina's many action parts have seen her handling guns on countless occassions, including her roles in Tomb Raider, Mr & Mrs Smith and Salt.
The A-lister previously revealed her pro-gun stance in 2008 when she admitted she kept a gun in the house during her marriage to Brad Pitt, 57.
She said: 'Brad and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one. And yes, I'd be able to use it if I had to… If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I have no problem shooting them.'
Tragic: The actress, 46, weighed in on the tragic incident after the actor, 63, was given a loaded gun, which he shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with, as well as injuring director Joel Souza
Careful: Angelina, who has worked with guns on set on many occassions both as an actor and director, said that 'certain procedures' have to be taken 'very seriously' (pictured on Mr and Mrs Smith - 2005)
The latest update in the Baldwin case is that lawyers representing the armorer who loaded his gun claimed the weapon was left unattended for two hours on set, before backtracking and saying it was only ten minutes.
Jason Bowles, speaking on behalf of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, suggested the gun may have been tampered with before it fired the fatal shot during the filming of Rust.
The .45 Long Colt was not supposed to contain live rounds and was one of three on a tray given to assistant director David Halls who then passed it on to Baldwin.
Claims: Lawyers representing armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (pictured) who loaded Alec Baldwin's gun, suggested it could have been tampered with
Gutierrez-Reed, 24, who says she gave the actor gun training and told him to never point a firearm at someone, had loaded the gun on the prop cart with six dummy rounds which she took from a prop ammunition box labeled 'dummies', Bowles claims.
These rounds do not contain any gunpowder and are used on film sets to mimic real bullets.
Bowles claimed the guns were left unattended for two hours including the crew's lunch break during a TV interview on Wednesday.
But later he backtracked after consulting Gutierrez-Reed, saying the guns had been locked in a safe during lunch and were only left unattended for five to 10 minutes, he told the New York Times.
Bowles said his client had asked her colleagues to watch the gun cart when she was not there and she remembered seeing it left unattended at points throughout the day.
Gutierrez-Reed loaded the three firearms at 11am, including the .45 Long Colt, which were to be used during filming on the fateful day, fellow lawyer Robert Gorence said.
He said: 'Was there a duty to safeguard them 24/7? The answer is no, because there were no live rounds.'
TV appearance: Attorneys Robert Gorence (left) and Jason Bowles (right), representing 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, appeared on the Today Show
The gun was declared 'cold' meaning it was safe to use and it remains unclear how a live round was used.
Gutierrez-Reed said in a statement issued by her lawyers: 'Who put those in there and why is the central question.
'Hannah kept guns locked up, including throughout lunch on the day in question, and she instructed her department to watch the cart containing the guns when she was pulled away for her other duties or on a lunch break.'
The statement goes on to say that 'Hannah did everything in her power to ensure a safe set. She inspected the rounds that she loaded into the firearms that day. She always inspected the rounds.'
The statement adds that she inspected the rounds before handing the firearm to assistant director David Halls 'by spinning the cylinder and showing him all of the rounds and then handing him the firearm.'
'No one could have anticipated or thought that someone would introduce live rounds into this set,' Gutierrez Reed's statement said.
The statement also noted that 'she did firearms training for the actors as well as Mr. Baldwin, she fought for more training days and she regularly emphasized to never point a firearm at a person.'
It comes as Halyna's husband Matthew hired the firm Panish, Shea, Boyle and Ravipudi in Los Angeles and is set to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Muddy waters: It is not yet clear how the live round entered the gun before it shot and killed Halyna Hutchins
