Breitbart:
Alec Baldwin claimed that he did not pull the trigger on the single action revolver at the center of the Rust shooting. It’s hard to believe and here is why: the single action mechanism requires multi-step manipulation in order to fire.
The best way to explain this is by noting that there are two classes of revolvers: single action and double action. Ironically, the single action requires two actions to be performed in order to fire while a double action requires only one.
For example, a double action can be fired by manually cocking the hammer then pulling the trigger to release it, allowing it to slam down on the primer and fire the bullet. But a double action can also be fired with the hammer un-cocked. This is done by simply pulling the trigger all the way back, allowing the trigger pull to cock the hammer and then that same trigger pull releases the hammer, striking the primer, and boom.
A single action does not have such options. It is only designed to fire after the hammer is manually cocked and the trigger pulled to release the hammer.
Moreover, the hammer has to be manually cocked in between each shot in order to fire multiple shots with a single action revolver.
Now, is it possible to accidentally pull the hammer back and release it while subsequently squeezing the trigger, thereby firing a single action revolver?
The answer is ‘yes.’ However, Alec Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, “The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger.”
Baldwin added, “No, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never.”
So are we to believe that the gun fired itself?
