New Mexico, where court records show an assistant director handed Baldwin a loaded gun and told him it was “cold” or safe to use, while filming “Rust” on Thursday, did no specific safety laws for the film industry. Much of the legislative debate on the industry, as in other states, has focused on tax credits and incentives to attract the lucrative entertainment business, not what happens on sets. shooting.

This approach has worked well for New Mexico. In addition to attracting major film productions, the state is home to major production hubs for Netflix and NBCUniversal. It recorded a record $ 623 million in direct spending on productions between July 2020 and June of this year.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat and staunch supporter of the film industry, praised the industry’s precautions for a pandemic over the summer, saying she had put safety at foreground and paved the way for the return to work.

Workplace safety is paramount in all industries in New Mexico, including film and television, governor’s spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said Friday.

“State and federal workplace safety regulations apply to industry as to all other workplaces, and the state’s Office of Occupational Health and Safety is investigating,” Sackett told About the tragedy that unfolded at a movie ranch near Santa Fe. “This is an ongoing investigation, and we are awaiting further facts in order to understand how something so terrible and heartbreaking came about. could have happened. “