system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
Which part: the people that think an actor with minimal firearm safety/knowledge is supposed to double check the work of the armorer (the expert)

Or

The people that think anyone that touches a gun, even a prop gun, should be an expert?
gpt
Basic rules that any actor should follow: 

An actor, upon entering a set with firearms, is to receive firearm safety training, that they then follow at all times, regardless of whether they use a gun or not. 

The only person that handles any gun is the armorer themselves, and the actor during the filming or performance of a scene.

The armorer ensures that the gun is clear, whether it has a blank, dummy round, or no round at all in the chamber, and shows the actor, before calling out to the set that there's a gun in use. 

The actor then uses the gun during the scene, keeping their finger off the trigger at all times unless absolutely necessary, safety on unless absolutely necessary, and never pointed at a person no matter what.

These are all *very* basic rules that are to be followed by every actor when a gun comes onto a production. No, actors do not need to be an expert, but they should still follow basic gun safety and have their own specific checks to ensure that everything's safe. 

The things they didn't do on the set, from the news that's come out: 

* The armorer wasn't the only person touching the guns.
* The guns were not cleared in front of the actor and verified to be clear before being used.
* The guns were used during rehearsals, which were not at all necessary.
* The guns were being pointed directly at people.
* Baldwin's finger was on the trigger.

There are other aspects and gun safety protocol that the armorer didn't follow, but I'm not touching on those, as they aren't what an actor is supposed to be aware of. No, actors don't need to be experts, but there are many very basic rules that the cast and crew of *Rust* weren't following, and that is why the executive producer, the armorer, and more are most likely going to be charged with involuntary manslaughter (if they haven't been already). 

Theatre technicians and film folks have known since it happened that these charges would get rolled out, none of this is a surprise.