Why do we even need prop guns that can fire live rounds? | Emma Kay

This heart-breaking occurrence has resulted in more than 60,000 signatures calling for immediate and swift action, reigniting the debate on guns.

It is a step in the right direction for an avoidable tragedy. Given there were children on set as well, this call for action seems socially responsible. It also is highly logical. In this day and age with the technology we have, having real guns on movie sets is a high health and safety risk and utterly exorbitant. These are not prop guns which are being used but real guns acting as props where you can put a blank round or a live round into the same weapon and it will fire both indiscriminately, giving you zero protection. There is so much room for error here.

In the UK there are always two armourers on film sets to oversee gun use. I have no idea what the protocol is in the United States but it seems lacking given what has occurred.

We don’t need real guns to understand what a gun is and what it does. The fact there were live rounds on that set is totally and utterly inexcusable and as a result a terrible tragedy has occurred. After this event a massive TV police show called The Rookie announced it will no longer use real guns on set, opting for a replica-only guns policy overnight.

The whole film industry needs to be on board with this. It is an outdated and archaic practice that needs to be stopped and should have been in the early ’90s when Brandon Lee was killed in the same manner.

Films take time to make and on lower budget productions where time is of the essence it is more likely that protocols will be ignored. This absolutely cannot be the case. Health and safety must always be at the forefront, not time and money. There is an enormous amount of speculation with this, crew members have already walked off the set due to health and safety concerns about this low budget film. If safety corners have been cut, then responsibility must be upheld.

And who knows? This may open up a frank and honest discussion about firearms and gun control in general.

Shopping smart is not a bad thing

Shopping together, mixed up like bees in a hive, can promote ill-informed decisions leading to impulse buying. Many of us have done it.

Convenience and speed are powerful drives causing us to ignore decisions we see as trivial in our everyday slog.

A quick price check online costs nothing. Being price sensitive does not make you stuck up.

It makes you wiser and less likely to buy items you do not need. Comparing shopping online is frugally sensible. There is no need to feel like everyone is watching if you take out your phone and make a quick comparison. There is no shame or expectation. It is good to support local business, yes, but it is also good to support yourself.

The purchasing process does not have to be confined to the shop. So many of us live in a world of free information, so why not use that to our advantage?

We should be proud of pupils getting their jab

Pupils are finally being able to get their Covid vaccine at school.

There were tears as they proudly showed off their ‘just been jabbed’ stickers.

Sore arms, but relieved eyes after such a long wait. It was quite a moment as they held up their consent forms and took their place in line.

The rollout of vaccines for 12-to-15-year-olds started on September 20 and has not exactly been free from controversy.

Since the beginning of the autumn term the infection rates have been soaring. Empty classrooms have become commonplace with one in 20 children in senior schools expected to test positive for Covid.

So when the big day came, they were very emotional. And who can blame them having to watch adults around them get the vaccine, all the while stressing about catching Covid and risking the health of their family. We should be proud of their eagerness for the jab.

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