Representative Lauren Boebert, who is a member of the United States Congress, criticizes prosecutors’ decision to drop charges against Ale Baldwin as “liberal privilege.” I’m not exactly sure what liberal privilege in the context of the judicial system means, but Boebert isn’t the only conservative criticizing prosecutorial discretion. Although, the criticism may stem more from the fact that Baldwin spent years parodying Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live than from any legal or factual analysis.
What did Lauren Boebert Do Now?
“Special prosecutors on Thursday dropped two counts of involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin, 65, in connection with the shooting death of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” in October,” Forbes reported.
Lauren Boebert, who I caution against taking seriously, didn’t waste long before jumping on Twitter to criticize the decision. “Liberal privilege is real,” Boebert tweeted, apparently “alluding to right-wing conspiracies of collusion between Hollywood and liberal lawmakers and power players.”
Conservatives are latching onto the Baldwin shooting, no doubt in part because Baldwin’s lippy and repulsive take on Trump hurt the feelings of MAGA Nation; and no doubt in part because the incident can be used to “boost the gun-rights narrative that people who fire guns are responsible for shooting deaths, rather than firearms.”
What happened in New Mexico?
Baldwin was rehearsing on the set of “Rust” last October when he accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. “Baldwin – who has said he did not pull the trigger – was rehearsing a cross-draw when the Colt .45” fired. Baldwin wasn’t the only one charged. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. And assistant director David Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun, “was sentenced to six months of probation on charges of negligent use of a deadly weapon.”
Prosecutors dismissed the case against Baldwin “after investigators found that the gun’s trigger control was improperly functioning and the joints of the revolver were fatigued.”
Conservatives like Lauren Boebert want Baldwin locked up
The liberal privilege within the US judicial system that Lauren Boebert referred to is fiction.
But had Lauren Boebert wanted to criticize the US judicial system as favoring people with money over people without money, she might have been onto something.
Baldwin, of course, has money, and, accordingly, had a much better chance of getting through a criminal trial “unscathed.” That’s not politically dependent, it’s purely socio-economic dependent – a notion Trump himself is likely to reinforce in his upcoming hush money-related lawsuit.
The Bottom Line
And the idea of rooting for Baldwin to go to prison is pretty sick stuff.
Prison is for people who cannot be expected to function safely alongside the rest of us; prison is a way of removing the unsafe from the rest of the population.
Baldwin, who accidentally fired a faultily prepared gun while practicing cross-draws on a movie set, doesn’t qualify as someone who must be removed from the general population.
Maybe Baldwin deserves to be sued for damages in a civil suit. Maybe Baldwin should take remedial firearm training before he’s allowed to handle a firearm again.
Maybe guns are inherently dangerous.
But the idea that Baldwin needs to go to prison is petulant and misguided. And the conservatives crying otherwise should be able to separate political analysis from criminal analysis – especially those conservatives with a seat in Congress.
MORE: Video – Ukraine Has Massive New NATO ‘Cannon’ Ready To Fight Russia
MORE: ‘Americans Will Pay The Price’: One Democrat Is Angry At Joe Biden
MORE: Could Joe Biden Get Impeached?
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
