A Texas advocacy group for expanded access to firearms has named Kyle Rittenhouse as their outreach ambassador despite the fact that Rittenhouse is clearly bad at guns.
“Joining Texas Gun Rights is an awesome opportunity to continue advocating for our constitutional freedoms,” Rittenhouse said in a statement. “I am excited to work with TXGR to mobilize Texans in support of their right to keep and bear arms. Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and our rights are protected in Austin and D.C.”
Rittenhouse emerged onto the public stage following an incident in 2021 when he killed two people and wounded a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha. Wisconsin. He was acquitted of murder charges under the state’s “stand your ground” laws, which allow lethal force as long as the person believes they are in mortal danger. The men that chased Rittenhouse attempted to grab his gun during the confrontation.
By bringing a loaded firearm and openly carrying it at a protest, Rittenhouse exacerbated the situation. What might have been an incident involving black eyes or no violence at all turned deadly because Rittenhouse wanted to bring a gun that “looked cool” to the event. The prosecution at his trial claimed that Rittenhouse began the deadly escalation by pointing his gun at one man, Joseph Rosenbaum, though Rittenhouse denied this.
After shooting Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse was confronted by another armed bystander, Gaige Grosskreutz. Grosskreutz thought Rittenhouse was an active shooter and pointed his own gun at the 17-year-old. When Grosskreutz lowered his gun, Rittenhouse shot him in the bicep.
During the trial, the prosecution wanted to introduce a video of Rittenhouse where he said he wanted to shoot people coming out of CVS. He believed they were shoplifting. The video was denied admission by the judge.
None of these are the actions of someone who has a clear handle on the way to manage firearms. Rittenhouse was disqualified from joining the marines, though it is currently unknown why. According to David Hancock, who was Rittenhouse’s image coach during the trial, he also falsely applied for a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card under his mother’s name so he could keep his AR-15 in the home after she refused to get one for him.
Even other gun advocates have criticized Rittenhouse’s behavior with a firearm. For instance, he loaded his AR-15 with target ammunition rather than factory defensive ammunition. The latter is less likely to penetrate, making it deadlier and more conducive to non -fatally create space with an attacker. Prosecution argued that proved Rittenhouse attended the protest with the aim of causing violence.
Rittenhouse has done nothing to make him an ambassador of responsible gun ownership. Instead, he has become a figurehead to far-right political interests who tend to see guns as a way to intimidate others. Despite his terrible record with guns, Rittenhouse is the perfect spokesman for that point of view.
