Here is a tidbit of testimony from Gaige:
Defense attorney: “You would agree your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse correct?”
Grosskreutz: “Yes.”
Defense: “Once your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse, that’s when he fires his gun, yes?
Grosskreutz: “No.”
Defense: “Sir, look…Does this look like right now your arm is being shot?”
Grosskreutz: “That looks like my bicep being vaporized yes.”
Defense: “It’s being vaporized because you’re pointing a gun directly at him, yes?”
Grosskreutz: “Yes.”
Defense: “When you’re standing 3-5 feet from him with your arms up in the air he never fired. Right?”
Grosskreutz: “Correct.”
Defense: “It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun, now your hands down, pointed at him, that he fired, right?”
Grosskreutz: “Correct.”
I understand if you don't like it. But, that's a different topic for a different situation.
Kyle was not on trial for gun rights in the USA. The constitution was not on trial. Kyle was on trial for whether he acted in self-defense or not.
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The right to carry a gun and the choice to use lethal force is extremely powerful. Basically, you bypass the court system and become the judge, jury and executioner in that moment. Something that should never be taken lightly. As a matter of fact, anyone caught doing this in an unjustified manner should be put away for a long, long, time. In my opinion, it should be mandatory life in prison or the death penalty for abusing this right. I wish more cities and states took this as seriously. We often see shooters let straight out of the system when in fact, they should be put away. If someone is killed? They should get the death penalty. Maybe by firing squad. It's cheap and it works. I imagine it's not that painful either.
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Alright, that aside, I hope this helps understand what the Rittenhouse trial was and wasn't about. It wasn't about the past criminal histories of the players. It was not about political affiliation. It was not about race. It was simply about whether Kyle Rittenhouse justifiably felt his life was in serious danger before he used his firearm to stop the threats.
You will see many people celebrating or denouncing the verdict. You will see people questioning his motivation for going to Kenosha. You will hear good and terrible things. Many things that have nothing to do with the case at all.
In my opinion, justice was served. I am in the camp that thinks it is sad that people lost their lives. I also think it is sad to see some of our cities burned. I am sad that crimes go unpunished. It is sad that people are now allowed to shut down cities to "peacefully protest" when it is anything but peaceful. It is sad that law enforcement is not able to do their job and that DAs do not prosecute real criminals.
I am thankful that we are allowed to have firearms in the USA. Most of us have made the choice to move to places that are sane or we have modified our behavior to reduce risk of getting in situations where we might have to deal with a dangerous threat. For instance, I have not been to downtown Portland, Oregon at night in over 4 years. All this shit started down there well before covid. But, I am tired of it. The city is supposed to be safe and it belongs to the public. Anyone should be able to go down there without worry of getting in a life or death situation. Alas, it is not so. For every "Kyle" out there, there are thousands that make the choice to stay home and not participate. That's just not fair. But, what he did wasn't illegal. While it is sad that people died, it turns out that the people he killed were evil. Misguided. "Domestic terrorists" comes to mind. The local politicians and the DA should have some accountability for the situation. The only way that is going to happen is by votes. Choose your local government and party wisely.
I think they are waking up. I can see things have changed. Why? Primarily because they allowed a lot of shit to happen while Trump was in office since it seemed like it might help to make him less popular. I am seeing a resurgence in prosecuting criminals right now. And that is a good thing. Pretty scummy behavior to let innocent people suffer and freedom to be impinged based on politics.
And remember - much of the worst stories you see from America are from "liberal", "progressive" cities and states. if you come to the US, just try to stay away from them. They are currently horrendous. I think your risk of danger is 10x in some of these "dem" cities. They have made a real mess. Now, the American people will need to clean it up. One thing is for sure, this is not a country that will stand by passively when we are in danger and laws are being broken. The law is responsible for their job but when they fail? We still have the ability to defend ourselves. And that is a good thing.