California lawmakers pass bill on film industry gun safety in wake of 'Rust' shooting
SACRAMENTO – As a response to the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a movie in 2021, the California Legislature on Tuesday passed a bill that sets safety protocols for film and television productions.
The legislation, Senate Bill 132, establishes mandatory guidelines around the use of firearms and ammunition and limits the use of live ammunition. Training requirements for prop masters and armorers would also be implemented.
The legislation incorporates language from Senator Dave Cortese's Senate Bill 735, which was the first bill to introduce guidelines for firearms and ammunition safety on film and television sets in the state and came after the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" in 2021.
"Conversations about this legislation started the week after the tragic loss of a cinematographer," Cortese said in a press release. "Those negotiations have produced the nation's first and best safety practices for California workers in the vital motion picture industry."
In addition to addressing film safety, the bill also aims to keep productions from fleeing California by providing tax incentives. The bill extends by five years California's Film and Television Tax Credit program, a $330 million incentive program for film and TV production that makes tax credits refundable for companies.
It also creates a five-year pilot program that requires any employer who receives that tax credit to hire an advisor to perform risk assessments and participate in daily safety meetings.
In an effort to increase diversity in the film industry, the bill also encourages companies taking part in the tax incentive to create and share initiatives and plans for diversity, equity and inclusion with the Legislature.
It is the Legislature's intent to "address unequal starting points and drive equal outcomes so equity is embedded within productions that receive the California Film and Television Tax Credit," reads the bill.