Kyle Rittenhouse Trial

[Belsnickel]

Figured I would bring this over here for a response to prevent continued derailing.

(11-02-2021, 06:00 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Yea, I don't think it's a legal gray area. If we go by the book rather than a moral sense of what is "right" I think acquittal is the correct judgment. The video evidence suggests that the crazy guy chasing him was the beginning of the physical confrontation and, if it wasn't, there's no evidence of anything beforehand. That's self defense, in my opinion.

I think the left's outrage about it is more moral, as many probably believe that walking around a protest with a gun strapped to you could be some form of incitement (similar to that Missouri couple who were arrested for brandishing their guns at protesters.) If people perceive you as a threat, they will naturally act hostile towards you, which I imagine is what happened in this case. 

So, legally, I think it's pretty open and shut, but I do hope this leads to some kind of reform on what it means to brandish a weapon (I'm not counting on it though. That conversation doesn't even seem to be occurring, let alone reaching some sort of resolution). Cuz, in my opinion, it's pretty ****** up that you can bring a gun somewhere and then if people react with hostility towards you implicitly threatening their life ("If you do something I perceive as wrong, who knows, I may shoot you. You better hope I'm not a crazy person!"), you may have grounds to kill them. If Kyle left the gun at home, no one dies and Kyle isn't sitting in jail right now.

Honestly, the last part of your post is why most responsible gun owners favor concealed carry. In most situations, open carry just makes you a target. Military and LE open carry for two reasons. One, a show of force, and two, easier access in a situation where it may be needed. But with that comes an amount of training that far exceeds the amount the general public will ever receive as well as a whole list of policies covering when to draw, shoot, etc.

Meanwhile, there is a part of the firearms industry that is focused on making firearms and holsters that can be carried without anyone knowing they are there. This is used for backups for LE, but it also used by most of us that carry on a regular basis. I go through my day with a Glock 26 at my 4-o'clock, and no one really knows it's there. For when I have to go somewhere it isn't welcome (e.g. work, courthouse, doctor), I have a lockbox for it. I don't advertise I have a firearm with me. I don't put any firearms related stickers on my car, even, because that just advertises that there could be one in the vehicle making you a target for theft.

There is a time and a place for open carry, but those are very few and far between for the civilian populous. If you are carrying to protect yourself, concealed is generally the best way to go. Open carry makes you a target, which is what it did for Rittenhouse. Note, though, just like a woman wearing skimpy clothes doesn't remove their victim status in a sexual assault, open carrying doesn't remove the victim status in an assault. I think that last point is where we are seeing so many on the left having a hard time with their cognitive dissonance on the issue.