Rittenhouse says he’s destroying gun used in fatal Kenosha shootings

by Maureen Breslin - 12/01/21 10:46 AM ET

Kyle Rittenhouse said he is destroying the rifle he used to shoot three protestors in Kenosha, Wis., last year during an appearance on the conservative podcast program, “The Charlie Kirk Show” on Tuesday.

Speaking as a guest on the program, Rittenhouse said, “We’re having [the rifle] destroyed right now. We don’t want anything to do with that,” while discussing how the lead prosecutor in his case, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, brought the AR-15-style weapon into court.

Rittenhouse expressed that he was shocked when Binger pointed Rittenhouse’s rifle “at the gallery.”

Rittenhouse said that he looked at his defense attorney, Corey Chirafisi, at the time and said, “Corey, that’s gun safety 101. Loaded or unloaded, treat a gun like it’s loaded.”

Last week, Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all three charges that were brought against him after the fatal shooting in Kenosha, ending a trial that unfolded amid intense national scrutiny.

Two men, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, were killed by Rittenhouse. A third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, was injured, but survived.

Rittenhouse maintained that he shot the protesters in self defense.

The teenager has previously appeared on several conservative media programs since the end of the trial, including on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show.

Days after Rittenhouse was acquitted, he met with former President Trump in Florida.

Trump outlined his meeting with Rittenhouse while speaking on Fox News’s “Hannity” show, telling host Sean Hannity that Rittenhouse had left Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate “a little while ago.”

The former president called Rittenhouse “a nice young man” and defended the 18-year-old.

Several other conservative lawmakers have praised the jury’s decision in the Rittenhouse trial. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) went so far as to offer Rittenhouse an internship.

Meanwhile, a number of liberals and Democrats have expressed shock and dismay that Rittenhouse was not found guilty.