Everybody involved knew they were playing with guns including the person that volunteered to stand in front of it.

Pretty much. I don't think they have much of a case. The AD already signed a plea deal.

it sure seems like someone else needs to be charged

I think if anyone gets convicted of anything it will be the armorer. She has a few good arguments, but it was ultimately her responsibility to be sure the gun was safe.

where all involved were consenting parties

Much like on Yellowstone, where you have a bunch of actors that had never been on a horse before pretending they are cowboys.

Oddly enough, the live ammo that found it's way to the Rust set likely came from the production of 1883.

Lawyers can't make any money like that...

Yep. Gloria Allred is already milking this one.

Was there a need for a loaded gun anywhere on the set during thie scene being filmed?

No. Live rounds were banned from the set, but some still got there. They have not determined how. The supplier was requested to provide them with 3 different blank loads, and dummy cartridges.

That day's shoot called for dummy rounds in the morning (when the incident occurred) while filming close-ups, and then blank rounds in the afternoon when they filmed the actual "gunfight".

before making a pro-active proclamation as the set's chief safety officer.

As a follow up, he is now saying he didn't. He says someone else called it a "Cold Gun", not him. Others say it was him and he is the only one that ever used that term.

I would say Baldwin is clear. Armorer - not so much.

I would put my money there. The armorer's main argument was that she also had secondary duties as a general prop assistant that took time away from looking after the firearms. She raised that concern to her superiors and they basically told her to just suck it up.

All she had to do was prioritize. Armorer job first.

"They" made it quite clear she was not to do that. The set was pretty messed up from a gun safety standpoint.

It's a surprise MTG has not opened an investigation yet.

Alec Baldwin was flying a helicopter in the Twilight Zone movie.

That was George Santos.

The only time you don't check a weapon you've been handed is when it's expected to go boom, at a range.

Problem with that on the set is if you unload the gun it goes back to the armorer to get reloaded and you are right back to where you started.