Rust armourer sentenced to 18 months over fatal on-set shooting by Alec Baldwin

Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of Rust, where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.

Gutierrez-Reed was unsuccessful in her plea for a lesser sentencing, telling the judge she was not the monster that people have made her out to be and that she had tried to do her best on the set despite not having "proper time, resources and staffing."

Defence attorneys have highlighted Gutierrez-Reed's relatively young age of 26 "and the devastating effect a felony will have on her life going forward," arguing that she will forever be affected negatively by intense publicity associated with her prosecution in parallel with an A-list actor.

Rust assistant director and safety co-ordinator Dave Halls pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm last year and completed a sentence of six months unsupervised probation.

The pending firearms charge against Gutierrez-Reed stems from an incident at a bar in downtown Santa Fe, days before she was hired to work as the armourer on Rust.

Prosecutors say investigations into the fatal shooting led to the discovery of a video in which Gutierrez-Reed filmed herself carrying a firearm into the bar, while defence attorneys allege vindictive prosecution.