Judge refuses to toss weapons charge against Rittenhouse

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge refused to dismiss a weapons charge Tuesday against an Illinois man accused of shooting three people during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin last year.

Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz during the protest in Kenosha. Prosecutors charged Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the protest, with multiple counts, including homicide and being a minor in possession of a firearm. His trial is set to begin Nov. 1.

Rittenhouse's attorneys have argued that he fired in self-defense after Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz attacked him. They asked Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder to dismiss the weapon possession charge during a hearing Tuesday.

Corey Chirafisi, one of Rittenhouse's attorneys, argued that the statute only prohibits minors from possessing short-barreled rifles. Rittenhouse used an AR-style semiautomatic rifle with a 16-inch barrel the night of the shootings, according to Chirafisi.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rittenhouse-due-court-likely-final-034948725.html

[lagomorph777]

1. Question for DU gunners: is 16 inches a "short barrel"?

I think this asshole has already skated on the triple murder charges. I'd hate to rely on a technicality to nail him, but there must be some kind of accountability!

[sir pball]

13. No.

16" is the minimum legal length for a "full sized" rifle, below that it's a short barreled rifle* which falls under the aegis of the NFA, regulated the same as a machine gun or silencer. I'd assume those items are also unlawful for minors to possess.

*Unless, that is, you call it a pistol and slap a Velcro strap on the stock so it becomes an "arm brace", then it's all fine and unregulated

[csziggy]

14. Less than 16" is a short barrel rifle according to ATF

Short Barreled Rifle
Image of a Short Barreled Rifle

Classification

Short Barreled Rifle

Distinctive Characteristics

Rifle having a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length.
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-guide-identification-firearms-section-5

[marble falls]

21. Check this out. How the Manufacturers get around a short barreled rifle ...

https://www.americanfirearms.org/best-ar-15-pistols/



Just call them pistols. I understand the gun is basically a std AR-15 receiver with an 11-1/2" barrel.

[Jim__]

2. A little bit on Wisconsin gun laws for minors.

From Cap Times:

Wisconsin gun laws prohibit children from possessing firearms, with few exceptions. And adults who leave firearms easily accessible to children could face jail time. Highlights include:

• Allowing a child younger than 14 access to a firearm without permission of a parent or guardian is a misdemeanor if the child uses that gun to harm anyone or to show it off in a public place, unless that gun was safely stored.
  
• Firearm retailers are required to provide each buyer with a written statement warning that if they leave a loaded firearm within reach of a child they could be fined or imprisoned.
  
• Possession of a gun by anyone under 18 is a misdemeanor, unless that gun is being used for target practice, hunting or the child is a member of the armed forces.
  
• No one under the age of 12 is allowed to hunt with a gun.
  
• Giving, loaning or selling a dangerous weapon to someone under 18 is a felony and carries a sentence of up to 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine unless the firearm is used for target practice or hunting. If that gun is used in a homicide or suicide, the person can be charged with a felony carrying up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
  ...
  

[3catwoman3]

4. A technicality is fine by me. This smirking little...

…slime needs to get nailed with something.

[localroger]

20. He's solidly guilty on the misdemeanor weapons charge

There are numerous pictures of him with the gun and as Jim posted he's not allowed to have any model of gun at all unless he's doing target practice, hunting, or in the military. Whoever gave him the gun is solidly guilty of a felony but that may be more complicated since he was given the gun in another state and brought it across the state line -- which may be another legal problem for him.

[groundloop]

22. In a sick kind of way you could say that he was hunting......

The sick motherfucker was hunting people.

[MyOwnPeace]

5. Really? How F'ed is this country......

when you have an idiot 17 yr. old marching down the street with a military weapon, kills 2 people because they were 'protesting' - and gets millions of dollars donated to defend his sick ass?

Yeah, I know - the kind of country that would even consider having something like IQ45 be the president......

[iluvtennis]

7. Ditto.

[CrackityJones75]

9. This is the kind of country

This is the kind of country that routinely watches scores of elementary children get mowed down by nutjobs with guns and fails to do one god damned thing to stop it. We are WAY WAY WAY beyond fucked up.

[MyOwnPeace]

10. You are SO right.....

If Sandy Hook didn't move the nut- jobs to do something, we are lost.....

[ShazzieB]

6. Good for that judge!

[C Moon]

8. I'm sure Rittenhouse will be in the news again in a year or two.

He's a murderer being told what he did was just fine.

[Botany]

11. Very soon nobody will ever hear the name Kyle Rittenhouse again except @ his trial, when he ....

... is sentenced to life w/out parole and is taken from the court room in chains, and when he dies, commits suicide,
or is murdered in prison.

[Ford_Prefect]

12. How do they charge the straw man buyer without charging Rittenhouse???

*Giving, loaning or selling a dangerous weapon to someone under 18 is a felony and carries a sentence of up to 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine unless the firearm is used for target practice or hunting. If that gun is used in a homicide or suicide, the person can be charged with a felony carrying up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Rittenhouse Provoked the people he shot into engaging with him while he was armed with an ILLEGAL FIREARM. He challenged them and threatened them with his weapon like he was playing a video game.

Possession of a gun by anyone under 18 is a misdemeanor, unless that gun is being used for target practice, hunting or the child is a member of the armed forces.

[onethatcares]

15. apparantly he thought

he met the requirements.


Possession of a gun by anyone under 18 is a misdemeanor, unless that gun is being used for target practice, hunting or the child is a member of the armed forces.

Gaud dammmintt, I'm so sick and fucking tired of this shit

[dchill]

17. Well, he WAS "hunting."

[onethatcares]

19. wait til that loop hole comes up

along with "target practice".

I'm outa words.

[jaxexpat]

16. Since he was a minor at the time of his crime..........

he should be sentenced to house arrest in the Hamptons and forced to memorize poems by Robert Frost until he can pass a basic humanity test or his testicles implode.

[Progressive Jones]

26. LOL ! This kid isn't from a classy enough background to get a job shining shoes in the Hamptons.

The IL/WI Stateline area he's from has a large redneck/trashy element.

[Fullduplexxx]

18. He was attacked after he started murdering people

[LiberalFighter]

23. A kid like him needs to receive the max.

[AverageOldGuy]

24. Rittenhouse should have listened to Sammy

[Codifer]

25. I, too, am so done with this shit.

This little wanna be is an evil piece of crap and should be sentenced to life without parole. May I suggest Ryker's Island or Pelican Bay. He should be kept apart from any contact with the aryan brotherhood (grad school for terrorists) but not in solitary confinement. Put his abetting mommy in the same cell (also for life), after all, she raised this freaking monster.

I apologize for language, the last twenty years have taken their toll.

Edit to add: My opinion is that no-one owns an assault rifle unless they intend to use it to murder people. This kid dreamed about it. His mommy helped him to do it. Fuck them both.