No, I'd disagree slightly there there especially after two previous incidents on the same production + crew waling out, in part, over safety issues, on the same production. Good to trust, better to check!
Is it his job to check, though? Is he qualified to check? Is he a certified armourer?
If not, he could (and given this is America, probably would) be opening himself up to all kinds of liabilities.
Besides which, the previous incidents supposedly involved blanks and mishandling, and I've yet to hear whether Baldwin was even aware that these same weapons had been used (inappropriately) for live fire or that there was even a possibility that they might have been live-loaded, given that such things should never happen on such a film set.
Why wasn't the armourer and actor present together when either loading or checking that the firearm is safe? If there isn't the expectation that he can't confirm by himself (like in this case with an antique/unusual weapon relative to modern firearms) then why not have the armourer confirm/demonstrate that in his presence?
Again, that
should be what happens and in this case did not.
To use your car analogy, one MoT place passes a car that should have failed, which subsequently malfunctions and kills someone. Based on the failure of those one or two individuals (MoT tester who passed the car, and the receptionist who handed over the keys), you now assert with hindsight that every individual driver should either have an MoT tester show them the car is mechanically sound each time they want to drive it, or better yet attain sufficiently certified expertise to fully assess the vehicle their own selves...
But then, this is about people who broke existing safety protocols. No amount of additional rules and regulation will stop that from happening. Train all the actors up to Navy SEAL standards, if you like... mistakes can still happen and people can still be stupid dickheads.
[armourer proceeds to just take a minute to explain there are no bullets in the drum, no caps (or if dummy ones present they're duds - perhaps demonstrate this too) etc..]
Armourer removes separate percussion caps and safely unloads several chambers of fully rammed and wadded black powder, before having to then reload all over again, wasting resources and delaying filming.... taking several minutes for every single gun on set during a 40-50 person town shootout scene, making almost 4 hours delay.
Instead, he was not told by an expert (the armourer) he was told by the AD. According to the reports so far the AD picked up the weapon (from among three weapons left lying about offset) and assumed it was safe then handed it to Baldwin, told him it was safe and he simply took his word for it then proceeded to practice a scene and in the course of doing so pointed it at someone, the armourer/expert seemingly had no part in that specific part of it. Of course, the armourer did have a part in the apparent negligent aspect of leaving the firearms unattended/unsecured and loaded with live ammunition in the first place and allowing them to be used for mucking about with live ammunition off set.
Then it is Baldwin's fault for ignoring the armourer, but still not his place to assume personal responsibility for something that isn't his job, unless he himself is actually qualified to do so... any more than it was the AD's place to do so when he proclaimed the weapon cold.
Again, you're not paying attention, in this scenario they're firing an actual firearm, the analogy is driving an actual car...
To be fair - in this analogy the real car would need to have no fuel, battery or spark plugs and be utterly incapable of starting up and driving off.... or at least, that's what the actor has been told the condition of the car is.....
But of course he's an actor, not a mechanic, and while he may be a competent driver capable of driving and refuelling a car, he is not qualified to open the engine up, remove the HT caps, strip out the tank and ascertain whether it is fuelled and plugged or not.... That's the job of the on-set mechanic over in the Transportation Department.