Judge Drops Gun Charge Against Our Boy Kyle

Things are looking pretty sunny for Our Boy Kyle.

RT:

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial dropped a gun charge against the 18-year-old on Monday, providing yet another win for the defense as the case draws to a close.

Among the charges prosecutors were levying against Rittenhouse was a misdemeanor gun charge related to a Wisconsin statute that Judge Bruce Schroeder admitted last week was difficult to understand.

Rittenhouse is facing multiple charges, including first-degree homicide, for shooting and killing two men and injuring a third during violent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year. Rittenhouse and his defense lawyers have maintained that the then-17-year-old acted in self-defense during the anti-police Black Lives Matter protest last August.

Prosecutors have tried presenting multiple other charges to the jury, including a second-degree homicide charge the judge ruled would not go before the jury last week.

The gun statute in question bars those under 18 from possessing certain short-barrelled firearms. The defense argued on Monday that the statute does not apply to Rittenhouse, as he was not carrying a short-barrelled rifle and the law does not apply a blanket ban on a 17-year-old carrying a firearm.

The statute is meant to exclude minors from carrying certain weapons, while also allowing them the freedom to use rifles to hunt, a common pastime in the state. Critics have argued an AR-15 falls into a “loophole” within the law, but the defense has maintained the statute comes down to barrel length, and Rittenhouse was not in violation.

The gun charge had presented an opportunity for the prosecution to score a conviction on a lower count, should the jury decide Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.

It looks like he’s going to walk.

The judge has dismissed the weapons charge against Kyle Rittenhouse.

This is a huge victory for Rittenhouse and his defense team.

— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) November 15, 2021

Of course, I’m happy about that.

At the same time, I hope it doesn’t cause Americans to think that the justice system in America still works, or that anyone can expect a fair trial in this country.

It’s basically just a fluke that Kyle got one of the few remaining judges in this system that is willing to stand up against the pressure and do what is right. You cannot count on that. At all.

We should celebrate Kyle’s victory against the odds, but remember that part about the odds.