Kyle Rittenhouse Lawyer: My Client Legally Possessed Rifle in Wisconsin
Kyle Rittenhouse legally possessed a firearm last Tuesday in Wisconsin, said John Pierce, an attorney representing Kyle Rittenhouse, offering his remarks in an interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Sunday with host Joel Pollak.
Rittenhouse was arrested last Wednesday and charged with murder in the shooting deaths of two people during the previous night’s riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Pollak asked how Rittenhouse obtained a firearm.
“Wisconsin is an open carry state,” replied Pierce. “You’ve seen the video of what was going on in that city. It was a war zone, and Kyle had every right — just as much a right — to be there as the people that were trying to burn down that city, and he was attempting to protect property and attempting to be there to provide medical aid.”
Pierce added, “Every person that has any sense at all is going to take a weapon to that location. It was a legal weapon. I can’t comment right now further on the specifics of where the weapon was obtained. It was obtained as a legal weapon. It did not cross state lines. That charge is incorrect as a matter of law in Wisconsin. Actually, that weapon can be possessed by anyone 16 years or older.”
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Pollak asked, “People are wondering why he would come to a violent scene. Was he looking to be a hero? Was he looking for confrontation? What was his motivation?”
“Kyle was not there looking for a fight,” Pierce remarked. “He is a great kid who serves as a community lifeguard in Kenosha. He was there to protect businesses that were being destroyed and burned to the ground. He was also there to provide medical aid to protesters and others who might be wounded. He actually took a first aid kit there to help wounded protesters, which he did repeatedly.”
Pierce continued, “Of course, Kenosha was burning, and he took a rifle so that he could protect himself if he needed to — and to protect property and to protect others. This is one hundred percent self-defense. It’s not even close. Kyle was actually attempting to put out a dumpster fire that the rioters had set.”
Pierce went on, “The rioters got enraged by that. Kyle actually attempted to retreat. He was chased down by attackers that were repeatedly stating that he should be killed. They came at him lightning-fast and attempted to begin striking him and wrestling with this rifle with an intent to kill. He had no choice but to fire his weapon and protect himself.”
Pollak asked, “Could he have helped these people with the medical kit without bringing a gun, and is that something he thought about doing?”
Pierce said Rittenhouse would have been killed had his client been unarmed.
Pollak inquired, “If that was the danger though, why did he go? If you can’t show up to a situation without a weapon, why go?”
Pierce held, “If we take that line of thinking, then the anarchists have won. He has every right to be in the community that he works in. We cannot turn over our cities to people who simply want to burn them to the ground.”
Pollak remarked, “If everybody showed up with guns, if everybody applied the same principle and decided they were going to enforce law and order. What would the result of that be for our society?”
Pierce determined, “If every law-abiding American showed up in the city that they loved with an AR-15, the chaos would stop immediately.”
Pollak asked if Rittenhouse belonged to any militia.
Pierce responded, “I am not aware of any such facts. … This is something that a lot of people are not aware of, but this is actually the law under Title 10 Section 246 of the United States Code, actually, every able-bodied male in the United States between ages 17 and 45 is actually part of the United States militia, and that is provided for under the Constitution and Congress has enacted that statute.”
Pierce addressed a possible plea deal: “We’re going to trial. We’re going to win this case. If I’m the prosecutor, I drop these charges immediately. I think that this is a rush of judgment, and if I was the prosecutor, I would be terrified to take this case to trial. I do not believe that there’s a jury in this country that’s going to look at these facts and is going to find him guilty for murder.”
“It’s absolute 100 percent self-defense, and we’re going to prove it if we have to,” concluded Pierce. “It was legal for him to possess that weapon in Wisconsin.”
Breitbart News Sunday broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
Kyle Rittenhouse's Attorney Explains What Took Place When the 17-Year-Old Fired His Weapon in Kenosha
Source: AP Photo/David Goldman
Last week, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot three men – two of which have died – during a riot in Kenosha. The teen is being charged as an adult and faces two counts of first-degree homicide, one count of attempted homicide, recklessly endangering the safety of two other victims and possessing a weapon while under the age of 18.
According to Pierce Bainbridge, the law firm representing Rittenhouse, his attorney was justified in using deadly force because Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian failed to protect the residents in the city. Although Rittenhouse lives 30 minutes away in Antioch, Illinois, he works in Kenosha as a community lifeguard.
Bainbridge stated Rittenhouse decided to help a business owner defend his property from rioters who were threatening it.
"The business owner needed help to protect what he had left of his life’s work, including two nearby mechanic’s shops. Kyle and a friend armed themselves with rifles due to the deadly violence gripping Kenosha and many other American cities, and headed to the business premises," the statement said. "The weapons were in Wisconsin and never crossed state lines."
According to the attorney, police started to clear out the area following the city's 8 p.m. curfew. As the crowd dispersed, many moved towards the shops Rittenhouse was allegedly guarding, where they teased and taunted those protecting the businesses.
"His intent was not to incite violence, but simply to deter property damage and use his training to provide first aid to injured community members," the statement said. "After the crowd passed the premises and Kyle believed the threat of further destruction had passed, he became increasingly concerned with the injured protestors and bystanders congregating at a nearby gas station with no immediate access to medical assistance or help from law enforcement. Kyle headed in that direction with a first aid kit. He sought out injured persons, rendered aid, and tried to guide people to others who could assist to the extent he could do so amid the chaos."
Police allegedly blocked Rittenhouse's path back to the original shop. He received word that the owner's second shop down the street was the new target.
"As Kyle proceeded towards the second mechanic’s shop, he was accosted by multiple rioters who recognized that he had been attempting to protect a business the mob wanted to destroy. This outraged the rioters and created a mob now determined to hurt Kyle. They began chasing him down. Kyle attempted to get away, but he could not do so quickly enough. Upon the sound of a gunshot behind him, Kyle turned and was immediately faced with an attacker lunging towards him and reaching for his rifle. He reacted instantaneously and justifiably with his weapon to protect himself, firing and striking the attacker," the statement explained. "Kyle stopped to ensure care for the wounded attacker but faced a growing mob gesturing towards him. He realized he needed to flee for his safety and his survival. Another attacker struck Kyle from behind as he fled down the street. Kyle turned as the mob pressed in on him and he fell to the ground. One attacker kicked Kyle on the ground while he was on the ground. Yet another bashed him over the head with a skateboard. Several rioters tried to disarm Kyle. In fear for his life and concerned the crowd would either continue to shoot at him or even use his own weapon against him, Kyle had no choice but to fire multiple rounds towards his immediate attackers, striking two, including one armed attacker. The rest of the mob began to disperse upon hearing the additional gunshots."
Following the shooting, Rittenhouse allegedly tried going directly to officers who ushered him away. Later that night, he turned himself in to Antioch police.
The attorneys representing Rittenhouse believe he was exercising his Second Amendment rights.
"A 17-year old child should not have to take up arms in America to protect life and property. That is the job of state and local governments. However, those governments have failed, and law-abiding citizens have no choice but to protect their own communities as their forefathers did at Lexington and Concord in 1775," the law firm's founder, John Pierce, said in a statement. "Kyle is not a racist or a white supremacist. He is a brave, patriotic, compassionate law-abiding American who loves his country and his community. He did nothing wrong. He defended himself, which is a fundamental right of all Americans given by God and protected by law."
Twitter Locks Ann Coulter’s Account over Kyle Rittenhouse Praise
Twitter locked the account of bestselling conservative author Ann Coulter over a tweet praising Kyle Rittenhouse, despite the fact that the platform initially informed her that her tweet did not violate the rules.
Coulter says the platform also deleted the tweet on her behalf, not giving her a chance to appeal the decision.
“I want him as my president,” Coulter said of Rittenhouse, the 17-year old who allegedly shot three rioters in Kenosha who attacked him, killing two and injuring one.
Videos of the incident show one of the rioters aiming a pistol at Rittenhouse before being shot.
It looks like Kyle Rittenhouse was about to get a bullet in the head from a handgun from this angle. pic.twitter.com/8yyWKzcpa1
— Chris Sandoval 🇺🇸 (@firstcitizensam) August 27, 2020
“I decided to appeal it. I’m on vacation until after Labor Day anyway. But by appealing, that means I CAN’T TWEET until they decide my appeal. So I’m guilty until they rule,” said Coulter in a comment to Breitbart News.
“This 1) makes no sense inasmuch as they’ve already removed that tweet, so why not let me tweet in the meantime?; and 2) is clearly total bs. Inasmuch as ANOTHER twitter administrator expressly ruled that the precise tweet that got me suspended violated no twitter policies.”
“SEE YOU ON INSTAGRAM!” concluded Coulter.
A screenshot provided to Breitbart by Coulter shows that her tweets were initially found to not violate Twitter’s policies.
“We have investigated the reported content and could not identify any violations of the Twitter Rules,” says the message.
The reference to “German law” refers to Germany’s practice of forcing Twitter to comply with its hate speech law, with potential penalties of 50 million euros if the platform fails to comply.
In a statement to Breitbart News, Twitter confirmed that it had taken action on the tweet “I want him to be my president.”
“The Tweet glorified violence, specifically condoning an act of violence that may be replicable by a civilian,” said a Twitter spokesman. “It will need to be removed by the account owner before they continue back to Twitter.”
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News, where he has published material from whistleblowers inside Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Bokhari’s upcoming book, #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election is currently available for preoder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
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