Kyle Rittenhouse requests the return of the weapon he used to shoot 3 protesters so it can be 'properly destroyed'

After being acquitted on multiple criminal charges for shooting three Black Lives Matter supporters (two of them fatally) at an August 2020 rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Kyle Rittenhouse was praised as a hero in the right-wing media, while many liberal and progressive pundits on MSNBC and CNN were horrified by the verdict. Never Trump conservative Tim Miller, meanwhile, didn’t agree with either viewpoint, describing Rittenhouse as a foolish, misguided kid who got in way over his head — not someone who should be either praised by the right or vilified by the left. Now, Rittenhouse is asking if the AR-15-style weapon he used in Kenosha can be returned to him in order to be destroyed.

In a document filed in a Kenosha courtroom this week, attorney Mark Richards wrote, “Mr. Rittenhouse further wishes to ensure that the firearm in question is properly destroyed.”

CNN reporters Aya Elamroussi and Joe Sutton explain, “The AR-15 firearm used in the shootings was purchased by Dominick Black, who was dating Rittenhouse’s sister at the time. Rittenhouse was too young to purchase and possess a gun, but he agreed to pay for the firearm, Black testified in November at the trial. Rittenhouse is the lawful owner of the firearm ‘per the verbal contract enacted with Dominick Black,’ Rittenhouse's attorney argues in the court document requesting the release of the gun.”

During his trial, Rittenhouse maintained that he was acting in self-defense when he shot protesters Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz — and the jury, obviously agreeing with his explanation, acquitted Rittenhouse on all charges. Rosenbaum and Huber died, while Grosskreutz was injured but survived.

Richards, according to the CNN reporters, “also requested back several other items, including a 30-round capacity magazine, bullets, an iPhone and some clothing.”

Kenosha was rocked by intense protests during the Summer of 2020 after the police shooting of an African-American man, Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed. The Blake shooting followed the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020 — a killing that set off huge protests all over the world.