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Hero or vigilante? Rittenhouse verdict reignites polarized U.S. gun debate

Published 11/19/2021, 06:52 PM
Updated 11/21/2021, 06:22 PM
© Reuters. People await the verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

© Reuters. People await the verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

(Corrects third paragraph to make clear Rittenhouse did not bring his weapon from Illinois to Wisconsin)

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal on murder charges on Friday opened yet another front in America's longstanding fight over gun rights: Is it acceptable for a teenager to bring an assault-style rifle to a protest?

Conservatives hailed Rittenhouse as a hero for exercising his right to self-defense when he fatally shot two demonstrators and wounded a third who he said attacked him last year at a racial justice protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Gun control advocates warned the jury's verdict could inspire a new wave of armed vigilantism, after Rittenhouse traveled in August 2020 from his Illinois home to Kenosha after demonstrations erupted following the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake.

Guns have long been a potent political issue in the United States, where permissive laws have led to the highest rate of civilian firearm ownership in the world. Mass shootings, which are far more rare in other wealthy nations, have plagued the country for decades.

Rittenhouse's decision, at age 17, to roam the streets of Kenosha toting a weapon in the name of protecting private property from rioters struck a particular nerve about just how far gun rights should extend.

"As the tragic events on that night in August showed, a 17-year-old arming himself with an AR-15 makes no one safer," top officials at Giffords, the gun safety group, said in a statement. "Today's verdict sends a troubling message that will encourage further vigilante violence and murder."

Gun rights organizations and Rittenhouse supporters celebrated the outcome as a major victory.

Within minutes of the verdict, the National Rifle Association posted on Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) the language of the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Brandon Lesco, who was standing outside the Kenosha courthouse holding a "Free Kyle!" sign, said the verdict was just.

"Someone needs to be there to defend the American towns that people try to burn. I respect that he was there, I respect he carried a weapon, he used it properly, he used it legally. The jurors agree," said Lesco.

The trial judge earlier this week had dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Rittenhouse for illegally possessing the rifle he used in the shootings, citing vagueness in the law.

'UNACCEPTABLE MESSAGE'

Liberals denounced Rittenhouse's acquittal as further evidence of a racially biased criminal justice system. Rittenhouse, like the men he shot, is white.

"That a white male youth can travel across state lines, armed with an assault rifle, and engage in armed confrontation resulting in multiple deaths without facing criminal accountability, is the all too familiar outcome in a country where systemic racism continues to rot the system," Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in a statement.

Some legal experts were careful to draw a distinction between the specific facts of Rittenhouse's case and the broader message it might send.

Prosecutors had a high bar to clear to convince jurors that Rittenhouse did not reasonably fear for his life at the time he fired, according to Janine Geske, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Under state law, he was legally permitted to carry his weapon openly.

But Geske said she worried the trial will teach the wrong lesson: "When you're out protesting or counter-protesting, it is perfectly fine to bring loaded weapons to 'protect yourself.' We're going to have substantial issues of who's defending themselves, when you've got two people with a gun?"

© Reuters. People await the verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

That sentiment was echoed by Karen Bloom and John Huber, the parents of Anthony Huber, one of the men killed by Rittenhouse.

"It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street," they said in a statement.

Latest comments

Hero.
Kid is a punk. He will be back in the news for ******someone else in less the 5 years
yawn
Why do people travel across state lines to burn down a town and cause $50mil damage and call it a protest?
Hero. 100%
This is happening because politics are bad for the country. Dividing people left or right.
Reuters is just another left-wing run news agency which lies to the public. The jury makes the verdict, not the media.
He was guarding his families gas station from rioters and thugs. Far cry from roaming the streets with his weapon and really far cry from Peaceful Protest...
When you attack an armed man it might not go your way, we can speak the truth since its all crackers
The jury did exactly what they're suppose to do. Find an innocent man, innocent. Lady Justice has performed impeccably.
Hero
Keep gassing up these all these so called "Activists" and find out what happens. Remember what happened to the British might against just 3% of the population leading to 1776. I guarantee there are more than 3% willing today.
hero👍
Reuters and the medias r the ones trying to incite violence.
Chased by people yelling get him ******that MF er . Beat with a skateboard a gun pointed at his head. The jury reached the correct verdict. The lying Media is despicable
the jury is the hero
I hope he bankrupts the liberal trash media.
"The trial judge earlier this week had dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Rittenhouse for illegally possessing the rifle he used in the shootings, citing vagueness in the law." The judge dismissed it because the law isn't vague at all. If the barrel is shorter than 16" it would have been illegal for him to carry. The barrel was 16", thus zero vagueness. Reuters is most definitely a part of the American Marxist movement.
He did not create the violence. He protected himself.
This is what happens if you tell police to stand down after rioters and looters burn a city down for three days…
And here they come for the guns. A case that shows the NEED for guns formself defense and theyll try to use it to take them away.
Things happen when you dont support law enforcement to enforce the laws. Citizens in US will act when pandering gov fails. Every action will have a reaction, its just common sense.
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