Kyle Rittenhouse's Rifle Will Be Destroyed After Kenosha Court Agreement

KENOSHA, WI — A Kenosha County judge on Friday approved an agreement by lawyers to dismantle the AR-style rifle that Kyle Rittenhouse used in a shooting during a Kenosha protest in 2020.

Rittenhouse, 19, was acquitted of multiple charges, including intentional and reckless homicide, in November 2021. He shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 28.

Kenosha Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder approved a request from lawyers for the state and for Rittenhouse to have the Wisconsin state crime lab destroy the gun, The Associated Press reported.

Lawyers defending Rittenhouse are also asking for $2 million in bail money be returned, though the 19-year-old's former lawyers argue that the money should go back to the foundation that raised it, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Lin Wood, one of the lawyers who first represented Rittenhouse, insisted that the $2 million should go to the #FightBack Foundation and his law firm.

Attorney Mark Richards filed paperwork with the Kenosha County Circuit Court on Jan. 19 to ask for Rittenhouse's rifle and belongings back. Rittenhouse wanted the rifle back so he could destroy it, the request said.

Conservatives across the country have lauded Rittenhouse's actions during the protest, while liberals have criticized him as a trigger-happy vigilante, The Associated Press reported. During a conservative podcast, Rittenhouse said he was "not a hero."

A spokesperson told The Associated Press that the Illinois man wanted to get rid of the gun so it wouldn't be used as a political symbol or a trophy celebrating the shootings.

Dominick Black, the man who bought the rifle for Rittenhouse, agreed to pay a fine for reduced charges in order to avoid prison.

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