Kyle Rittenhouse Wants the Court to Return Gun He Killed Two People With — So He Can Destroy It

Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted last November in the killing of two people and shooting of another in 2020 during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, asked the court to return the gun he used in the shootings so he can destroy it.

The request was made in a court filing Wednesday by Rittenhouse’s attorney Mark Richards. The Associated Press reported that in addition to the gun, the filing asks for the return of “the ammunition, the sling and the magazine from the firearm, his cellphone, a cloth face mask, the clothing he was wearing the night of the shootings, and a $1 bill.”

Rittenhouse family spokesman David Hancock explained why Kyle wants the items returned:

At the end of the day, two people did lose their lives, period. That weapon was involved in that. That weapon doesn’t belong on a mantle. It doesn’t belong in a museum. It belongs where Kyle wants it, and Kyle wants it destroyed. … There’s plenty of people out there who would like to hold these items up, on both sides. That’s nothing Kyle’s interested in.

Hancock added that Rittenhouse also plans to “throw out his clothing” as he is wary of the gun and other items being used to “celebrate” the shootings.

Rittenhouse’s trial garnered the attention of the country and became a wedge issue in the ongoing culture war between the left and the right in the United States. As a result, Rittenhouse has been heralded as an icon of second amendment rights by the right and went on an extensive media tour after his acquittal – including going on Tucker Carlson Tonight, meeting with former President Donald Trump, and speaking at Turing Point USA’s AmericaFest conference.