Whatever fault Baldwin might have in this tragedy it doesn't stem from his criticism of the NRA or 2nd Amendment. It's not clear to me, a gun-owning leftist, whether or not the standard rules of gun safety—i.e. don't point, always check the action, finger off trigger—apply to filmmaking. Per Baldwin, & others who have some expertise in the industry, should an actor fiddle with the action of a firearm after being handed it by the armorer, filming stops while the armorer then takes it back & checks it again. In short, the actor is not supposed to manipulate the weapon that way (unless, of course, the script calls for it).

Pointing? Well, he was allegedly practicing quick draws, & especially cross draws, so the gun's going to pointed in several different directions before it comes to a stop.

It sounds as though he had his finger on the trigger, & wasn't aware of pressing as he worked the now free hammer & the gun fired.

Not sure I buy that he didn't know it had fired because the recoil would have been unusual. He would have felt it.

Filmmakers make films people want to see. It's not just other actors who fill theater seats, stream & rent films. Who wants to see a western w/o a shootout?