On Saturday, Alec Baldwin called the tragic shooting on the set of his film a “one in a trillion episode” and said he supports restrictions on the use of actual guns in movies and television programs.

While Baldwin claimed he couldn’t comment on the ongoing inquiry, he did admit Ms Hutchins was “my friend” when he and his wife, Hilaria, stopped to chat with reporters on a Vermont roadside.

He added that he’s in “constant contact” with Hutchins’ family, whom he’s “very worried about” [via Sky News].

“We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened,” Baldwin explained.

“A woman died. She was my friend… When I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner.”

According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Baldwin discharged a .45-caliber pistol during a rehearsal on the “Rust” set on October 21, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin had been assured that the gun was safe, and it is unknown how live ammo ended up on set.

Dave Halls, the assistant director, has already admitted to police that he did not thoroughly inspect the gun before declaring it safe.

“Rust” director of photography Halyna Hutchins.Fred Hayes / Getty Images for SAGindie file

There have been no charges filed, and the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department has stated that the inquiry will take some time.

Baldwin also stated that he had been in contact with Hutchins’ “mortified” husband and son on a daily basis.

He said her husband was “overwhelmed with grief.” “There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion event. He is in shock, he has a nine-year-old son. We are in constant contact with him because we are very worried about him and his family.

“We are eagerly waiting for the sheriff’s department to tell us what their investigation has yielded.”

Hutchins’ husband Matt Hutchins remarked on Twitter a few days after her death that “our loss is enormous”

“Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words,” he added.

Following the event, some in the industry have called for real firearms, which are normally loaded with blanks or simulated bullets, to be banned off movie and television sets. Baldwin stated that he was in favor of the initiatives.

“I do know that an ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I’m extremely interested in,” Baldwin said.

“But remember, how many bullets have been fired in films and TV shows in the last 75 years. This is America. How many bullets have gone off in movies and on TV sets before? How many, billions in the last 75 years? And nearly all of it without incident. So what has to happen now is, we have to realize that when it does go wrong and it’s this horrible, catastrophic thing, some new measures have to take place,” he said.

The actor went on to say, “Rubber guns, plastic guns, no live — no real armaments on set. That’s not for me to decide. It’s urgent that you understand I’m not an expert in this field, so whatever other people decide is the best way to go in terms of protecting people’s safety on film sets, I’m all in favour of and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can.”

Baldwin and his wife Hilaria have six children and he is best known for the TV sitcom “30 Rock” He requested that the media no longer follow him and his family.