Quentin Tarantino recently appeared on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast , where the two discussed Alec Baldwin ‘s role in the shooting death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Maher did not think it was fair that Baldwin was prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter, but Tarantino said the actor was responsible to a certain degree. The gun Baldwin was holding on the “Rust” set had live rounds in it, and Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured when Baldwin fired it.

“It’s a situation I think I am being fair enough to say that the armorer, the guy who hands him the gun, is 90% responsible for everything that happens when it comes to that gun. But the actor is 10% responsible,” Tarantino said. “The actor is 10% responsible. It’s a gun! You are a partner in the responsibility to some degree.”

Tarantino, who is no stranger to having guns on his film sets, said that actors should always be shown the guns they’re meant to handle on camera before filming starts and “if there are procedures to follow, you follow them. It’s done with due diligence, and you know it’s fucking for real.”

“Here's how an actor can handle it,” Tarantino continued. “If he went through the proper steps … Like the barrel is clear, they show you the barrel is clear and that there is nothing … obstructing it. They actually show you the barrel. And then they show you some version of ‘here are the blanks and here is the gun.’ Now it’s ready to go.”

While the armorer is responsible for all aspects of firearm handling, Tarantino believes actors still have a role in ensuring the safety of the weapons they hold. The armorer on “Rust,” Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and will serve 18 months in prison. The movie’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. Baldwin, meanwhile, was prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped on July 12 when the judge ruled that authorities had withheld evidence.

Maher asked Tarantino why all guns on film sets couldn’t be replaced with props, with VFX later used to add the gunshot and sounds. This is a mentality many creatives in Hollywood adopted after Hutchins’ passing. Dwayne Johnson, for example, told Variety that all movies and television shows produced under his Seven Bucks Productions would switch to “rubber guns.”

“I guess I can add digital erections to pornographic films, but who wants to watch that?” Tarantino said, seemingly opposing the use of fake guns on sets. “It’s thrilling to fire blanks and see the real orange flame, not add it in post.”

Tarantino then pointed out that “for as many firearms as we’ve discharged in movies we only have two instances of people being shot on the set by a gun mishap,” referencing the “Rust” shooting and the death of Brandon Lee on the set of “The Crow” film. “That’s a pretty damn good record.”

Listen to Tarantino's full interview on the “Club Random” podcast here .