kyle rittenhouse rifle kenosha
(Adam Rogan/The Journal Times via AP)
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The [self-defense shooting video] channels are not sinister in themselves. [John] Correia combines old-fashioned moralism—including regular reminders that you are accountable to Jesus and the law for every round you fire, and that acts of brutality toward the vulnerable are among the worst you can commit—with extreme violence. I came away from a day with Correia thinking that the world is probably a safer place because he is packing heat.

But the videos themselves are insidious. Most people in the United States, allowing for wild variation in race, class, and education, are victims of violence only very rarely. Watching the videos, however, invites you to simulate violence at an extraordinary rate, much higher than we are mentally equipped to manage. (Correia himself has seen tens of thousands of them, and he posts a new one to his channel about once or twice a day.) The effect of these videos is to habituate viewers to that violence, to train them to imagine themselves in it. Training yourself to imagine something makes it seem more likely to happen, and primes your instincts to react to it—and, I suspect, initiate that violent reaction and overdo it when circumstances could be resolved more peacefully.

Rittenhouse appears to have been living in a fantasy world where police and car dealerships are more endangered than unarmed Black men in traffic stops, and where he was a warrior and self-defender, rather than a youngster who foolishly enrolled himself in a midwestern version of the Children’s Crusade. I can only imagine his fear when he saw the crowd coming for him—and the crowd’s fear, when it saw that a near-child was wildly firing a rifle better suited to a person with judgment and good training. I do not expect that the jury will be forgiving.

– Graeme Wood in Kyle Rittenhouse, Kenosha, and the Sheepdog Mentality

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224 COMMENTS

  1. Leftist are afraid of sheep dogs. They prefer everyone remain a fragile sheep.

    This Graeme Wood guy is the one living in a fantasy land where nothing bad ever happens to anyone and everyone lives in peace and harmony.

    The real world is made of violence, scarcity, competition, and power.

      • Yes, I’ve made comments over the past few days about this Guard. They should have instituted and enforced a buddy system. Actually, two buddies weren’t enough – it should have been three or more. Move as a squad, with a point man and a drag, with everyone watching out for everyone. The older men especially should have known better. No one took it upon themselves to watch out for the kid in the groupl. THAT was their greatest failing. If the kid had to shoot to defend himself, there should have been at least two other weapons backing him up.

        If any of us is required to defend his home, his business, his neighborhood, we need to be sure to watch out for each other.

      • I agree Frank. It is one thing to own an AR-15 type rifle and keep it at home where it rightly belongs. Or on occasion to take the same to the shooting range where gun safety rules are observed, including hearing and eye protection. But it’s another thing to go out in public displaying or brandishing a firearm. Granted the youth may have had this AR-15 style rifle slung over his shoulder? Still I feel this was in poor taste and thus having to resort to deadly or lethal force was certainly avoidable. Contact with both Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA can likewise be avoided. Simply stay at least two or better still three city blocks removed from them is a wise call. By doing so they can be avoided, averted, and shunned to the max, as they rightly should be. This comes into the category of time, place, and manner. The socialist anti-gun news media and anti-gun groups just love it when something like this happens. This gives them the ungodly perverted excuse to gloat against our Second Amendment, private gun ownership, and innocent gun owners. Next time please leave your AR-15 type rifle at home where it rightly belongs. Or fire it for fun at the local shooting range or gun club. But don’t walk out into public with such.
        This doesn’t help our Second Amendment cause at all. And remember to vote this coming November 2020 General Election and elect only pro-gun candidates to public office.

        • But it’s another thing to go out in public displaying or brandishing a firearm. Granted the youth may have had this AR-15 style rifle slung over his shoulder? Still I feel this was in poor taste and thus having to resort to deadly or lethal force was certainly avoidable.

          For a 17-year-old, a rifle (or a shotgun) was the only legal way for him to arm himself with a means of self-defense. Essentially every other self-defense tool falls under the Wisconsin statutory definition of a “dangerous weapon”, making all such tools unlawful for a 17-year-old to possess.

          Also: mere carry of a long gun is, by definition, not “brandishing”.

        • It pretty much doesn’t get any more 2A than this. Our society simply allowed itself to be complacent for too long and the left kept taking, and taking and taking. Now it’s harder than ever to exercise that second amendment. The rioters and looters know this, so they also use it to their advantage. What you see now is as it was intended. For every citizen to fight and retain that republic. The “If you can keep it” quote was not a joke.

        • Yes, stay in you hovels with the blanket pulled over your head. Do not risk confronting evil, as long as it doesn’t come into your home, let it ravage your neighbors. If you dare to raise a hand against it, your neighbors will turn there backs on you and the State will persecute you for making them look bad by doing the job they are supposed to be doing.

        • Antifa (and maybe BLM folks) burned down 35 businesses in Kenosha in a single night of rioting and looting. If we stay awat. it will continue unabated. Only the foolish, such as the mayors of Seattle and portland, think that this violence will “burn itself out.” Get a clue, these attacks are intended to undermine government and society. Antifa’s express goal is the overthrow of the US form of democracy. Who is to stop it if the police cannot? After these three shootings,, Antifa seems to have left Kenosha. Would be the dame would happen elsewhere. If you don’t know it already, you should know that “riot” is an express exclusion in homeowner’s and business property loss policies. Businesses that are burned out will probably never return, their owners wiped out, their emp0loyees without a job. Looting like this cannot be allowed to happen–and the people who have suffered these attacks know it all too well.

        • I give you Jim Farmer’s post as an example of how far did the slippery slope take us. The very notion that having a rifle on my shoulder is something inappropriate, of bad form, or even suspicious, shows how well the gun grabber’s propaganda and brainwashing worked. The original meaning of 2A is exactly what it says: we, the people, have right to not only own, but also carry our arms. This right must not be infringed.

        • Mark:

          Both those mayors had the “protestors” show up on their property, and in less than a day, they were removed.

          Rules for thee, not for me.

        • Woulda coulda shoulda, Rittenhouse accounted for himself very well. Wherever his pals may have been, he was on his own, SMN (Shoot Me N*##a) was tiring to disarm and probably beat Rittenhouse, IMO because he perceived weakness. SMN was wrong. After SMN was taken out, it was on and KR was attacked by a mob. We saw in Seattle how that plays out. He defended himself, he did not just start cutting loose, he took out attackers and then continued moving away. KR took out only Skateboard ManChild and Lefty. He maintained his composure throughout.

        • I dont think I agree.

          What does the second amendment say, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…”

          his city was being attacked by people that meant to make it less secure and less free.

          I happen to think Rittenhouse is a national hero. Yes, he was unsupported, but he was there. He stood the line to help keep his home secure. He initiated conflict with no one and responded with judicious use of force as needed to stop the threat.

          God willing, I’d have been as laser focused accurate in his shoes.

          Unless facts come out that change this, i’d say the kid deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom

        • saying..[on camera] ..that “we don’t do non-lethal” was not helpful…non- lethal should always be an option…and you should equip yourself accordingly….

        • Jim, if your response is to stay home, lest we provoke someone, and avoid any and all conflict, then what in God’s name is the Second Amendment for? Keep your gear locked up and only take it to the range for practice? I have my doubts that you’re really pro 2A.

    • I agree with Wood’s assessment of today’s 17-yr-olds as being “near children”, as many of them are due to their obsession of self and social media. But Kyle is clearly not one of them. Until only the last few generations, 17-yr-olds were always considered adults and treated as such. Heck, many of them served in the Revolutionary, Civil, and World Wars, married and raised families, participated in their local communities, and acted as men. Even the United States Code legally recognizes 17-yr-olds as part of the available Militia.

      Kyle has unknowingly become the Patriots’ hero for 2020…the antithesis of the Left’s George Floyd. He has been unjustly charged, but the difference is that Patriots aren’t using him as an excuse to run like animals through streets, burning and looting to gratify ourselves.

      The video evidence is too overwhelming to allow for an conviction of charges. However…if the Wisconsin court system somehow sledgehammers him for the Left’s political pursuits…then Patriots will be justified to march with arms.

      • We are all individuals, after all. The majority follows the path of least resistance. Some of us choose a different path. 50 years ago, I was the odd man out, the kid who didn’t “fit in” with the party crowd, etc. Today, it’s Kyle. You can’t peg anyone based on age, race, gender, or whatever. And, thank God for that! Few people here fit into the follow-the-leader liberal club that wants to enslave America. I’m glad to know all of you misfits!!

        • these leftist protesters are basically pack animals…and will attack in that fashion when presented with the opportunity…a singular individual…even a police officer…is vulnerable when placed in that situation….

        • Same, qualified expert in everything and could run an M60 tank, all at 17. We can ask our young to die for oil fields but not let them exercise their rights or defend themselves? Thats bunk. And letting BLM peacefully protest is one thing, keeping rioters and arsonists/killers in check another. Hat’s off to Kyle.

      • Every generation has its old kids, some as old as 40 and has kids that make responsible adults look like sophomore spring breakers.
        Our 11 year old would handle $5000 and & $10,000 orders. She knew how to read the computer program, make the sale and place the order. She may not have known exactly what $5000 could buy, but we trusted her to do the right thing. Think about the stories about your grandparents and great grands. Many left for the big city, new wife in tow at 15 or 16(sometimes the wife was 13 or 14). An 8th grade education(which few even got) taught them how to load a wagon, how to budget, and sign a contract. They already knew how to cook in/on a wood fired stove, how much feed the animals needed and how to keep warm in the winter.
        Give them some credit. The only reason they are protected like preteens is that the older generation does not want them taking their jobs before they retire, so we have make work/paper chases so they can be licensed to do a job, even if they could pass the tests without the college indoctrination.

        • I suppose that’s true, but it’s not universal. My grandfather was born in 1891 on a farm in LA, met my Grandmother at Cornell where both graduated, he as a mechanical engineer, she in education, of course. The idea of running off at 13 or 14 was not one my mother (their daughter) ever saw as an option. Nor did I.

      • Drink in the unmatched wisdom of the learned ‘I Haz A Question’. His wisdom is priceless, yet it costs you nothing. Such unparalleled greatness.

        All Hail.

        • So, what’s your assessment of the Kyle “Kenosha Kid” Rittenhouse situation? Enough of the blathering. Unless you don’t have anything we can actually talk about?

        • I Haz, don’t expect any thoughts from this brain dead creature. I tried to ask it what is the purpose of its weird behavior, to no avail. It seems to amuse itself by posting these stupid little things. They are easy to ignore.

      • If any harm comes to him or his family during this time…… heaven help us all if it’s intentional harm caused by a member of Antifa.

  2. I can only imagine his fear when he saw the crowd coming for him—and the crowd’s fear, when it saw that a near-child was wildly firing a rifle better suited to a person with judgment and good training.

    Let’s see: he was put in mortal danger by three people, he targeted only those three people, and the rounds he discharged hit only those three people.

    That doesn’t sound like he was “wildly firing.” Nor does it sound like he was lacking in good training.

    All it really sounds like is that Graeme Wood needs to spend less time in the fever swamp and more time paying attention to facts.

    • Look the video where they was chasing him a lot more than 3 had big rocks in their hands getting ready to toss at him and a big rock so he prob could have got a few more if the cops and da wasn’t bootlicking shitbags!

        • He could have easily lit up Glock boy, but he only shot him in the arm. Yet everyone arguing against self preservation aren’t happy about Kyle only shooting Glock boy in the arm, those same people scream, “Why didn’t they shoot him in the leg!?” Those screaming Kyle is a mass shooter looking to murder every black protester don’t point out how Kyle shot the arm of Glock boy that had the Glock. They always say, “Why didn’t the police just shoot the gun/knife out of his hand!?”

          Soon when everyone pays attention to the video evidence showing Jacob holding a curved knife and his admission to that fact, they will say, “Why didn’t the cop just shoot him in the leg to stop him from getting into the SUV or why didn’t they just shoot him in the arm to get him to drop the knife?”

    • The kid did a really good job. Mrgunsngear complimented his technique if not his judgement…and it was QUIET the next night! Did what full grown men should have done. Training video’s train people for worst case scenarios.

      • It was quiet the next night because the governor finally accepted federal help to quiet things down.

        The day earlier, the governor was asked by Trump if he needed assistance, and the Democrat governor told him no, things were well in hand. 24 hours later –

        Surprise, surprise, surprise…

        • I think what former is saying is that it was quite the next night Bec tye governor saw that people will actually start protecting them selves with extreme prejudice and kill If necessary. And since he didn’t want people to actually project/take law into thier own hands them selves he was forced to activate the NG. I don’t think he really wanted to Bec I think he truly supports the rioters. Rittenhouse a actions forced his hand.

      • As crazy as it sounds, FPS games help a lot with your aim especially if your gun has a red dot on it. I will save the pages of explanation to prove that. The difference is clearly demonstrated when teaching the Fuds and the Larpers how to use red dots on handguns.

        • @Montana Actual

          Are you always looking for the dot when you bring your handgun up? Do you have a hard time finding it? Most Fuds do…

          Clearly you don’t play FPS games at a high level to understand the dynamics of aiming. Old people are taught to have one eye closed or to look at their sights. You don’t play FPS games that way, thus you don’t aim that way in real life.

          There is no way I could explain to an old man through text. It’s not hard to explain to FPS gamers whom understand the fundamentals. It mainly works with red dots because there is no aligning sites necessary, which is the same in a video game.

        • when teaching the Fuds and the Larpers how to use red dots on handguns.

          Only red dot on any of my handguns is a pulsing laser beam, point and shoot bullet goes where laser points, no AIMING required… However, even at 70 I play a lot of FPS, keeps the mind right and helps maintain awareness levels…

        • first off asshole, I’m 34. I was playing “FPS” games before you tools started ruining them. Secondly, not one single FPS game aims correctly, or should be used as you are intending to use it, to teach people how to aim. Chief, its been very clear for a long time that you are a fucking moron, but comparing shooting techniques to a video game as a tool to learn from is just ridiculous. You are fucking dumb. Shut the fuck up. Do us all a favor and stick to your usual libtard rants where at least you lie about being informed, because this shit just exposed you for being maybe early 20 something and living in mommies basement trolling websites and playing video games all day. I dare you to upload a video of you at ANY range practicing what you preach. Hell, even an indoor range taking it slow would be laughable. Guys like you watch T-Rex arms and think “I can do that”, only you never do. lol.

    • Apparently, there was gunfire seconds before Kyle shot 4 rounds, according to a reporter who was standing nearby behind him. The reporter didn’t even understand what had fully happened until reviewing his video coverage later. This reporter was interviewed on FOX and could be a huge help in this case for Kyle.

        • did seem to be more shots fired than can be accounted for…be curious to see how that gets resolved…

    • He only missed twice. He fired at the only black attacker and missed both times. Rounds on target: 6/8

      It appears he was taught at some kind of police cadet and life guard/EMT training programs.

      This is an example how a person with little (or possibly no) formal training can perform better than a police officer because they have a mentality of every round fired is your responsibility and one only needs to fire to stop the threat in order to prevent additional problems. He didn’t even fire back at the people shooting at him (because he couldn’t see them?).

      Right now anti self defense people are arguing a 17 year old should not have access to a gun. Completely ignoring how other teens have used guns at home to defend against intruders. They are also ignoring how a 17 year old kid could handle a long gun so well: he only shoots those whom are immediate threats to him, lands hits with almost every round fired, fires only as many times as necessary to stop the assaults on him, even shoot a gunman in the arm as the attacker points a gun at his face, all while being struck in the head and laying the ground.

      The kid did better than most cops would ever. Young cops these days carry extended mags for their handguns as if they are going to need over 18 rounds of 9mm being a cop in America. Kyle appears to have only the 30 round mag in his rifle, no extra ammo and no body armor. Yet Kyle looks very calm and composed why a large lynch mob (who have attacked police) is shooting at him, physically assaulting him and putting a gun to his head. All the older militia guys stood there and watched it happen, but earlier they claimed they were protecting Kyle from the mob during a battle of words, they didn’t show up when the guns started going off and the mob flipped into kill mode.

      Those militia guys should go home if they are not going to protect a 17 year old kid when shit hits the fan. They just stood there and watched. Was the gas station that important? I also heard a militia guy was with Kyle right before he started running into the parking lot, he was right there when a man pulled a handgun and fired it towards Kyle, this man claimed he was there to protect Kyle. Then the militia guys play dumb when being interviewed after the shooting. What honor and loyalty.

      • He’s a kid when it supports one argument and a man when it supports another. I’m leaning toward Grown Ass Man.

    • Apparently you missed the part where CNN said all the one guy had was a skateboard and one of the others only kicked him. CNN left out the skate board was swung at his head and the kick was an airborne kick, booth could have caused grave bodily harm. The third guy had a pistol. Sounds like the kid did ok for himself. In watching the video of these incidents and some earlier, it also looked as if the kid wasn’t trying to ‘stand his ground’ he was trying to evade and only when that couldn’t happen and he was attacked, did he defend himself.

      • Yes; if CNN said it, I likely missed it. I don’t watch CNN. Or Fox, for that matter. It’s all crap, as far as I’m concerned – nothing more than a production designed to drive up your blood pressure and keep it there, through incessant “breaking news” and sensationalization of everything.

    • Leftist gun grabber twisting the truth into pretzels and outright lying to push a narrative? This is my shocked face.

  3. Demonstrating something can be done is dangerous because it demonstrates something can be done.
    Pretty much sums up the fear of every petty tyrant everywhere.

    • Thus Mr. Wood is strongly implying that there is no rationale to arm ourselves since most people will not experience an attack. And that is a horrendous application of classic risk-management theory. Using Mr. Wood’s approach, I should have no reservations going outside and holding a 20 foot metal rod up in the air during a thunderstorm since exceedingly few people in our nation will ever be the victim of a lightning strike.

      Or, we could be prudent and apply classic risk-management theory which says — regarding rare vents — even if a catastrophic event is rare, if cheap “insurance” is available for that event, we should partake of that cheap “insurance”. In this particular case, even if violent attacks are rare, we should spend a few hundred dollars on a firearm to protect ourselves from such allegedly rare events.

      And now for that claim that violent attacks are rare: readily-available real-world data tells us that violent attacks are far more common than the author realizes or will admit. None other than our United States Federal Bureau of Investigation collects reports of violent crime from law enforcement agencies across the United States and summarizes the data in their annual Uniform Crime Reports. That data tells us that well over one million people in the United States are victims of violent crime every year. That means roughly one out of 330 people are violent crime victims every year. Actually that ratio is significantly worse because countless people refuse to report their victimization for several reasons. Nevertheless, even going with that indisputable number, that means your chances of being the victim of a violent crime over the course of a 30 year adulthood comes out to approximately one-in-ten.

      In my mind, if there is a one-in-ten chance that I will be the victim of a violent crime over my adult life, I absolutely want “insurance” for that possible outcome.

      Perhaps even more pertinent: as I stated several more people are victims which never report their victimization to law enforcement. A reasonable number is twice as many people are victims of violent crime every year as reported to law enforcement. Assuming that is true, then your odds of being the victim of a violent attack over a 30 year span of your adult life is even worse yet at 1-in-5. Once again, I am not willing to forego cheap “insurance” that costs a few hundred dollars to greatly improve my odds of surviving a catastrophic event which has a 20% chance of occurring in my adult life.

      • Was more mocking the mostly peaceful protests in a comparison to this yahoo’s article but your points are solid.

      • That is adults that have reported the violence. Many kids get “punked” for lunch money/sneakers/bicycles, etc and the parents do not even report it(or the kid doesn’t want to “worry” mom/dad, so he/she doesn’t tell). I grew up on the wrong side of town and got into scraps monthly – because I was white(and therefore rich)sarc.
        This violence goes on every day, even if the police intervene, the thugs in training do not get punished.

    • “Life is mostly peaceful.”

      CNN was roundly mocked for their chyron of “Fiery, but mostly peaceful” under the image of the reporter standing in front of a burning car.

      Memes started popping up, like showing the Titanic sinking with a chyron of “Mostly successful maiden voyage”…

  4. A friend of mine who was born and raised in Mexico once told me that allowing everyone to have guns wouldn’t work in Mexico (there’s too many bad boys and wannabes that cause chaos). My response was let everyone have guns and let the bad boys and wannabes kill themselves off. If they mess with law abiding people they can defend themselves. Sure some good guys will be killed but that’s a necessary loss at this point. Eventually the bad boys will be killed off or will have a change of behavior, if not a change of heart.

    The question is would this be a good idea for the United States in places like New York, LA, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, etc? There are plenty of small towns where there’d be similar chaos.

    • “The question is would this be a good idea for the United States in places like New York, LA, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, etc? There are plenty of small towns where there’d be similar chaos.”

      Seattle has been shall-issue for some time now, and it happened in Chicago a few years back, when they were forced to allow non-criminal citizens to carry guns if they desired.

      They would adapt to it just fine. Take where I live, central Florida –

      In 1987 we were one of the first states to go ‘shall issue’, and you should have seen the ‘Letters to the Editor’, predicting literal streets running with rivers of blood. All kinds of extreme predictions, like gun battles breaking out over parking space disputes.

      (Realize the time – In the mid 1980s in Florida, we were dealing with an explosion of violence in Miami, due to Fidel Castro emptying his prisons of violent criminals with the Mariel boatlift, and a flood of cocaine coming in from Central America.)

      The reality? No such thing happened. No massive uptick of gun murders. After shall issue passed, gun crime *dropped* by about 50 percent, over the 20 years since then.

      The good and decent people don’t turn into bloodthirsty killers just because guns are present. If anything, criminals now have to fear their thuggish behavior could literally cost them their life.

      The political left will never acknowledge that guns don’t cause crime. Since the late 1980s, the number of guns in America has nearly doubled, and violent crime has plummeted to roughly one-half. More guns in good people’s hands, less criminal predatory behavior.

      An ‘Inconvenient Truth’ based it stark reality. The same thing would likely happen even in Mexico if it was tried. The Mexican people deserve to not be preyed upon by criminals…

    • The solution the anti-Second Amendment people have come to in places where Constitutional Carry and “Shall Issue” are the rule is to say, “Fine, you can have your damn gun, but if you USE your damn gun we are going to fuck up the rest of your life and bankrupt you while you defend yourself for defending yourself with your gun.”

      • CliffH,

        While I believe it is only ONE prong of the Left’s multi-prong attack on the RKBA, it is certainly a devastating one. I live in Commiefornia (only until my youngest graduates high school – after that, I am OUT of this sh**hole). I have weapons available to defend myself, my home and my children, and I will use them in extremis, but . . . I know, as surely as the sun rises in the East, that I will go to prison for that.

        That’s a price I am willing to pay to defend my family, my life and my property. George Soros and Xavier Becerra? Suck my d***.

        • You are misinformed.
          California has an excellent “Castle Doctrine” law
          If you shoot someone who has forcefully entered your home, the law presumes you faced an imminent deadly force threat. It also removes any duty to retreat and , presumes you are the victim.

          However, you must stop shooting when they flee or surrender.
          No following them out into the street.

    • You didn’t point out to him that the bad boys and wannabes already have guns in violation of the law and use them to commit violent crimes?

      • He was referring to the culture in general. At times the cartels keep a certain code in dealing with people not a threat to or associated in the drug trade. Even last year (I think) a couple of months after a group of American mormons living in Mexico were slaughtered; a cartel detained a couple of American hunters by mistake. The cartel guys didn’t want more heat from the United States so they apologized, let them go, and even washed one of the guy’s truck.

    • Stop and Frisk. If every “Person of Color” was armed, that would stop immediately. It is unconstitutional nonsense, and the people carrying it out SHOULD BE SHOT.

      No-knock warrants. Ditto the above.

      Tickets for “Driving while Black”. Ditto.

      Civil forfeiture of cars, homes, money, etc amounts to robbery. Ditto the above.

      If the Black communities want “reparations”, I’m willing to give them an AR-15. One per head of household. Also a nice handgun, one per head of household. Give them a discount coupon good for $100 for each member of that household old enough to properly handle a weapon – minimum age of 13.

      The difference between a free man and a slave, is the right to bear arms. Give them all guns, and put the cops in their proper place.

      Remember, gun laws are race laws – always have been, and always will be.

    • Washington has been shall issue since the 60s. Murder had been quite low in Seattle until the anti-gun initiatives started passing. Then it started to rise. Hmmm…

      This year, with the police told to stand down, we hit last year’s total in July. Obviously, our leaders here in this town are great!

  5. We ought to try not to allow The Atlantic to set the narrative on this if at all possible. It’s about as dangerous as accepting breadcrumbs of support from the ACLU.

  6. A liberal is someone who has not been mugged.
    A progressive encourages the mugging even if it hurts their own.

    Laws for thee and not for me is the current belief of half the country. They are playing with a growing fire.

    • Funny, liberals founded this nation while the conservatives fought for the King then ran away to Canada.
      Both parties are progressive. The Republicans started that way. The Democrats joined them around 1900.

      • There is a serious difference between liberals of the 1780s and liberals since the 1930s
        One group founded the country and its institutions, the other wants to tear it down.
        Republicans? They are spineless but light years ahead of the alternatives.

        • Plenty of bad things can be said about republicans, but democrats have officially lost their minds, and have no concept of reality. Instead of pushing for solutions, they push for fake problems.

        • @Dude

          “Instead of pushing for solutions, they push for fake problems.”

          Pure gold! Hope you don’t mind if I use your phrase?

      • A liberal is someone who thinks it’s ok for people they don’t like to be beaten and have their property destroyed. FIFY.

        • And the liberal is so much smarter than the rest of us, they have to tell us what to eat, drive etc. . Must be tough to have to look after the welfare of most of the rest of the country. The ” commoners ” are to be used and taxed.

        • From the description of the two losers they seem to be sex offenders. I wonder if Miner likes little girls or little boys. Maybe he is “bipedo.”. I bet he has a criminal record

        • “I bet he has a criminal record”

          I’ll take that bet, and since I was challenged, I set the payoff at a fifth of Woodford reserve.

          Sorry, you lose, no criminal record here.

          The attempted murder and criminal possession of a firearm charges were dropped, for failure to prosecute so I’m all good!

          Would you like me to supply my shipping address so you make good on your promise?

  7. Firing wildly? I think that was the gunshots going off somewhat aimed in the direction of Kyle. This author is a charlatan. He proposes believing in Correia carrying then says that others are dangerous, mislead by Correia. He also carries water for the myth of the killings of unarmed black men by police. I am reminded of an old proverb, “Do not believe the cat when it cries for the mouse”.

  8. Graeme Wood literally stole the minute of my life that it took to read his idiotic opinion. I can never get that piece of my life back.

    • Make him pay for it, gather everyone you know and drive them to the polls to vote for gun rights on election day… 🙂

  9. Rittenhouse appears to have been living in a fantasy world where police and car dealerships are more endangered than unarmed Black men in traffic stops, and where he was a warrior and self-defender, rather than a youngster who foolishly enrolled himself in a midwestern version of the Children’s Crusade.

    Wow, whomever dreamed this shit up needs a REAL shot of realty.. That YOUNGSTER is the same age I was when I enlisted in the Marine Corps and three months after my 18th birthday I was engaged in a life/death struggle on nearly a daily basis… That youngster had his shit together, scared? yeah probably but he was trying to get out of there until what sounded like a gunshot made him turn around at which point the pedophile tried to grab the gun barrel and the kid moved it away then fired 4 shots at the asshole chasing him killing him… The “youngster” then circled around the car and came back and as another person tried to assess and put pressure on the wounds the “frightened youngster” placed the 911 call before attempting to escape the mob descending on him… His encounter with skateboard guy (the domestic violence specialist) became self defense after the skateboard contacted his head and that’s when the third clown ran up and pointed a handgun at the “frightened youngsters” head which resulted in his loss of part of his arm (that guy is a “prohibited” person, a convicted felon who has a prior conviction for illegal possession of a firearm).. The youngster was Not running through the street firing wildly, the persons hit were the ones who posed an immediate threat and ALL three of them have records including violent felonies…. IF there is any justice left in this country the kid will NEVER see a jury…

    • “IF there is any justice left in this country the kid will NEVER see a jury”

      Isn’t that the entire purpose of a Jury. 12 peers to decide what he did or didn’t do meets the definition of the law he is being charged with?
      This is definitely not murder one.

      • Unfortunately, the process is the punishment.

        If there is any justice, he will be exonerated well-before the specious prosecution ever gets in front of a jury. (I think that was the original point.)

        • “Unfortunately, the process is the punishment.”

          Yes, and we pay for them to wield the process like a weapon. Democrats despise fairness and justice.

        • “Unfortunately, the process is the punishment.”

          Being 17 years-old and in jail for 18 to 24 months (if not longer) will be rough on him. It’s a very good thing the financial support is pouring in for him and his family…

        • Geoff. Fortunately the criminals have been released from jail so they can rampage for their fascist masters. He’ll be in jail with church goers that got arrested for violating social spacing. Shop owners that tried to run their businesses.

        • Geoff,
          What financial support?

          “gofundme”. They killed that support by saying it violated, blah, blah, blah.

          Then it was “fundly”. They killed that when it was over 70 large.

          Where did all that money go?

          It’s why I’ll wait to find out who his defender is before I’ll flush another c note down the toilet.

        • “Geoff,
          What financial support?”

          Organized by Lin Wood (?), the lawyer who is organizing things.

          Still, like you, I want verification…

      • It wasn’t murder anything, the kid didn’t run up and start threatening everyone, he tried to remove himself from the situation but bobby badass pedophile sensed blood in the water, he THOUGHT the kid was an easy mark, one of those pussies afraid to do anything…OOOOOPPPPS, big mistake… The fact that they went straight to murder one before any revue of the evidence makes their agenda obvious… I’ve even heard some assholes on cable news calling him a white supremacist and the shooting as racially motivated even though everyone involved was white… The kid should never see a courtroom, charges should be dropped, cop a plea to misdemeanor under age possessing a firearm, 30 days probation and the World turns… You only need a jury if there is obvious doubt about the events, in this case there are numerous videos and an eyewitness that was right behind pedophile guy when he he tried to grab the kids gun..

        • That will not be the spin. Instead, the “victims” will argue that they were trying to stop someone from getting away after having shot and killed the first victim (the felon who got shot in the head).

    • You are mistaken in believing we have a justice system. Having been involved in it for 26 years it is a legal system that is for Just Us, meaning those who support those in power or have money and influence.
      After all who but the government has SELF decreed that prosecutors have absolute immunity for their actions under color of authority? Or even better the Open Fields judgement that the 4th Amendment only applies to you home and not all your property.

    • That was the paragraph that really disgusted me too. Pretty obvious to me at this point car dealerships are a lot more at risk than unarmed black men at a traffic stop based upon what we’ve seen this summer.

      Go ahead and trot out the innocent melonated men that cooperated with law enforcement and were still shot or choked to death. I’d genuinely like to know so I can support the calls for justice.

      It’s difficult for me to support anything other than justice for Breonna(though she was no saint), and her death has 0% to do with racism.

      • Statistics show that the unarmed black men waiting at a traffic light are being shot by other black men that are armed. Usually a gang retribution or drug thing. Thanks, LBJ.

    • First coverage I saw said the kid called 911 from the scene of the first shooting (if so, there is a recording!!) and reported the shooting, then was INSTRUCTED to go down the street to where all the cops were parked (is that disgusting, or what?) and they would take him into custody. Instead, they told him to go away, so he did. I have since seen the video of him coming around the car as another begins tending to the guy he shot in the head, and he whips out his phone and calls someone, then takes off down the street, coinciding with that story. I think he did most everything right, should eventually (like, in a week), get an apology from the cops and his gun back. Then we will learn what hysteria sounds like, which will be good training for November 4.

  10. This Mr. Wood (lol) guy thinks he’s smarter than everyone else….
    You’ll notice how these leftist mouth breathers always tout their worthless college educations….I place all these people the same boat….. EDUCATED IDIOTS….
    These are the people who can’t change a light bulb without calling someone to do it for them…

    What really needs to happen is workers should unite against these leaches of society…. no more favors for the educated idiot class….. you call me to work on your AC, YOU’RE GONNA PAY OUT YOUR PANSY A$$….
    This Is what the college system churns out….a worthless, lazy class that sponges off the working man….. TIME FOR THAT$HIT TO END!

    • Btw, I do know the benefit of A college system for certain skills such as medicine and law but colleges need to keep the focus on the basics of education…
      All the liberal arts BS needs to STOP at tax payer funded colleges…

      • But liberal arts is such a good moneymaker.
        Everybody pushing you to go to college?
        Don’t have any specific career in mind requiring specialized training?
        Just take out $90,000 in loans and get a degree in your hobby!

        Everybody from the parents to the fed to the universities to the banks and the dumb as fuck “students” need to be put against the wall for that scam.

        • There are literally thousands of baristas with multiple “degrees” upset that there college experience left them nothing but a load of debt and a dead end job.

        • In the old days, a college degree practically guaranteed a good paying job. Now that just about everyone has one, the degrees aren’t worth much unless it’s from an ivy league school, or it’s a degree that actually teaches you a skill. How much will college degrees be worth when you don’t even have to pay to get one? Obviously, it would lose it’s value even more.

        • Joseph when I used to review resumes for my section of state work I found the best indication of whether someone would actually work (let alone be smart enough to train) was whether they worked while they were getting their degree. Craptons of baristas and sandwich makers with 4 year (or higher) degrees but the ones that were working while earning it usually seem to be pretty solid on the job.

        • And that piece of paper can get you a job as a manager of a cell phone store, a bank teller, or a worker in a big box store. Jobs that a generation ago were done well by kids right out of high school.
          Adding insult to injury, there are places that want you to work as an unpaid intern for as long as 6 months(or more) before getting offered a paycheck. No wonder so many children are born out of wedlock and the father is not named. Expecting a teen or twenty something to sit on his hands waiting to be old enough to do a job he should be able to do with a week of supervision is like expecting him to interrupt his life for 10 years. ain’t gonna happen.

        • And, ever since I was in school in the ’60s, somehow there is ALWAYS a rumor about a secret agreement that we will not actually have to pay back those college loans. That’s over 50 years now, and still going on today. The way to make college free is, don’t go.

        • Rt66paul it’s a lot of crazy outside of trade work in terms of absurd entry requirements to diminishing returns with a few oddball successes. Used to be military would be the most exposure to stupid you could get from work. Pretty sure that changed over a decade ago.

    • Workers of the world unite ehh?

      Sounds like the communist slogan that you would be aware of if you were educated.

    • “thinks he’s smarter than everyone else….”

      Sociology, political science, journalism, and, yes education are not difficult majors. I know a “highly” educated person that majored in sociology and has two, yes two masters degrees. She struggled to pass high school geometry.

      • Don’t forget psychiatrists and psychologists, all of whom are nuts, got into that study trying to discover what is wrong with themselves that makes them so fucked up. I’ve got a relative with a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD, all in Trombone. Amazing. He could program hell out of a computer when he graduated high school, when the rest of us couldn’t even spell “computer”. But couldn’t be bothered with something so trivial, nothing but the wonderful trombone would suffice. A friend of the family at the time, attending the same high school, recently retired from Google, where he was VP in charge of finance or some such, now has to decide whether to take his little jet or his big jet on trips.

      • My brother and I were both peer tutors at university writing centers in different states, where we would help fellow undergrads who came in needing help with their writing assignments.

        There are a lot of reasons why someone might struggle with writing a college paper, and most of them have very little to do with overall intelligence.

        However, in comparing notes one day, we discovered a common thread. The rock-bottom dumbest, most helpless people, the ones that made us wonder how the hell they got into college at all, were ALL either education (usually early childhood education) or communication majors.

        There are smart people in both fields (I’ve worked with some), but man, there are a LOT of really stupid ones.

  11. Since he was attacked physically before defending himself each of the three times I have to disagree. When you use an “If Then Tree” each assailant had a decision to make. Throw a Molotov cocktail at this guy or not, take a whack at this guys head with my skate board after chasing him down or not, hey he’s down run up to him and pull out my illegal for a felon pistol and aim it at at him or not. Each time Kyle’s attacker made the wrong decision, and Kyle made a good shot.

  12. “The effect of these videos is to habituate viewers to that violence, to train them to imagine themselves in it. Training yourself to imagine something makes it seem more likely to happen, and primes your instincts to react to it—and, I suspect, initiate that violent reaction and overdo it when circumstances could be resolved more peacefully.”

    I was with him on this statement right up to “overdo it”. When confronted with violence, you need the training to immediately flip the switch and respond in kind. Kyle Rittenhouse did no such thing as “overdo it”. I’m sure that many people much older than he would not have handled themselves with such restraint, compassion and precision.

    John Correia and his Active Self Protection channel is one of the best and most balanced training aids out there. According to Correia’s teachings, the only thing I can see that Rittenhouse did wrong was to be there, and that, too, is arguable, given his stated motives. I’d like to see a video surface showing how he came to be separated from his group. The predators tried to single him out and paid the price of being predatory.

    • I think they targeted him just because he is a child. They thought he was a much weaker target. The left has targeted child many times before. And that is why the Liberals and the Left are against having 2A education and rifle teams in the public schools. They don’t want kids to learn about their american birth right.

      They are terrified of pictures of trained child carrying guns.

  13. Still doesn’t explain the mentality that thinks cornering and chasing someone carrying a rifle is a good idea.

  14. Graeme Wood is a CANADIAN-american bloomberg employee.
    That pretty well predicts the weakness of his analysis; ant 1st, anti 2nd.
    Still, his flawed analysis does get us to the real point.
    Life is dangerous. Self defense is dangerous. Sometimes you loose even if you win.

  15. This argument reminders me of the Christians and the Atheistic feminists, who both said watching pornography was damaging the minds of men. The Libertarians Liberals and the Leftists have been come the modern day book burners in the 21st century. Reason Magazine was very happy that the TV show “PD Live” was cancelled. A program with live real time video of police calls in 4 different time zones.
    I watched the show. It was very entertaining and instructive. But it seems showing police in a good light, is not supported by the cop hating Libertarians. I remember when the Fox show “cops” was also hating by the three L’s as well.

    Taking down video channels is just the same as burn books. Decades ago when Christians burned their own property called rock and roll records, the atheists were a gassed. How dare these religious people burn their own property. And encourage others to do the same. But I do remember when a NY rock radio station blew up a huge pipe of disco records. Way back in the 1980’s.

    Graeme Wood is just rationalizing book burning in the 21st century.
    I guess it all depends on who ox is gored.

  16. This article is like artificial intelligence generated agitation propaganda for the purposes of click bait. If it was on paper I would recycle it in the loo.

    But, too the point of him being a child, well I guess I was too when at 17 I took my first of many oaths to the constitution. At 18 the US Gov saw it fit to not only put one of those weapons in my hand, but to actually have me instruct thousands of others in its effective use. I guess it was a child’s crusade that at his same age while still in High School I signed up to fight a war that I only saw through the window of a lying, treasonous media. Its cats like this guy that never got picked for the team. Pathetic!

    Then the cherry on top as if he is slam dunking his righteous logic, “Rittenhouse appears to have been living in a fantasy world where police and car dealerships are more endangered than unarmed Black men in traffic stops”. Fact, police are in mortal danger everyday. Car dealerships, non-sequitur comparison. Blacks arent getting targeted and murdered at traffic stops, you take a low number of incidents and extrapolate that to the whole, that its disingenuous spin. Whites die at the hands of police five times more than black, while committing less crime per capita compared to blacks. Dont let reality distort your lies. But, thats why the “L” stands for lies, not lives, and propaganda is the hallmark of marxism.

    • And in reality- how many of the 3 attackers Rittnhouse shot were black??? Only in the Rachel Dolenzal form as far as I can tell.

      • Dude didn’t even mag dump into gun-wielding arm injury guy like many “highly trained” professionals would have done.

    • Over 60 years ago, my grandfather was a city marshall in a small Texas town. While checking out the report of a disturbance at a dance, he was shot in the arm but the bad guys died suddenly. As you said, you never know.

  17. IMO…When I hear a criminal coddling pos like mr. wood open his nasty nice piehole red flags start waving. The pos has all the sneaky attributes of a pervert child molester nitpicking obstacles that stand in his way. Obstacles like firearms or any means of victim defense are at the top of his worry list. He sides with the mob because he savors the perverted thought of the mob having their way with an unarmed victim like he probably savors the thought of him having his way with a helpless victim, etc. Read between the lines…the guy reeks.

  18. I didn’t write the following essay, it was sent to me from a buddy who served in the Marines while I myself served in the army. Infantry as it happens. I do however, fully agree with the sentiment. Some of the comments here, in fact most of them are spot on correct and make me proud to be a freedom minded American. Carry on!

    Open letter to ANTIFA:
    Last night, a few of your armed comrades got rolled by a fucking 17 year old kid. One of them looked down and saw his buddy missing most of his face and screamed for the police, the same ones you want to defund. Another kneeled and cried as he looked down at the hole where his bicep use to be. The other laid on the ground with a gaping hole in his chest, bleeding out thinking “maybe I shouldn’t have hit that guy with my skateboard”. All that after an armed encounter with a 17 year old kid from Illinois.

    A few weeks ago, another one of your comrades was carrying an AK47 and got dropped by an Uber driver with a pistol.

    Weeks before that, one of your other comrades fired at a car, missed completely and accidentally shot 3 of his other comrades by mistake.

    Just stop. It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed for you. Go back to your mom’s house, throw your Black Lives Matter shirt in the trash, give your mom her eyeliner back and go look for a job.

    Contribute to society and pay your mom some rent while you’re at it. This anarchy shit ain’t for you. Just stop before the real men come out to play….

    • Obviously. I read it every now and then. I like to hear all viewpoints. The detachment from reality is downright scary.

    • There is always an obligatory paragraph blaming, hating and accusing Trump of something. Pretty sure the editors either add it or ask the writer for it before publishing.

      They should have a weather section where at least they can correctly predict something right half the time.

  19. I am so sick of this false dichotomy between caring about police violence and the destruction of property. Concern about the former does not negate the latter. We can chew gum and walk at the same time.

    Furthermore, if I hear one more braindead line about insurance my head might explode. One would figure that collectivists could understand that burning down society imposes a cost on us all.

  20. Graeme Wood, is wrong headed in too many ways that nearly all commenters already pointed out.
    What really needs to be driven home to anyone on our side, that decides to go into these urban conflict zones while open carrying is to understand that you NEED A RELIABLE BATTLE BUDDY. Knowledge of small unit tactics don’t hurt either. Fire teams and bounding overwatch come to mind. This is beyond personal self defense. Only mistake Kyle made after defending himself was not turning himself in to the good cops immediately. Oh, and not having a battle buddy…and extra mags and sapi, eye pro, brain bucket,..it is war in these cities…Kyle has a great lawyer at least.

    • He tried to turn himself in, but he was told to get out of the way. After the fact, he probably didn’t know where to go.

  21. Rittenhouse appears to have been living in a fantasy world where police and car dealerships are more endangered than unarmed Black men in traffic stops

    No, that’s called “the real world.”

  22. The phony rationalizations for disarming the people and turning them into sheep, are never-ending. Graeme Wood must imagine we live in a caring, decent world, where politicians and cops work hard to keep us safe. He wants us to join him in his cuckery.

  23. Yeah y’all don’t want us defending what ours.
    America is America because we defend it.
    And defense is exactly what it is. When we ATTACK you’ll know the difference.

    • Matt…… When the governor doesn’t do his job, the mayor doesn’t do his job, when the prosecutor doesn’t do his job, when the police chief or the police do not do their jobs, then we are down to the citizen milita as the constitution says. I remember the saying, ” Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way “. Seems appropriate now. Says a native Texan.

  24. The real problem is that half the country sees a reasonable act of self defense and the other side sees an out of control white supremacist who intended to kill protestors. The particulars don’t matter.
    How can we reconcile this or even effectively govern
    I do not have much hope for any outcome other than civil war. My family is mixed (half black and half white) and I wonder if either side would have us.

    • Doc,

      If you believe in liberty, I don’t give a rat’s @$$ what color your daddy was. I’ll have you next to me. If you only platform is “I hate hippies”, I’ll take a pass.

      My youngest son (a libertarian, like me) and his buddies, went to a protest/demonstration in [unnamed city], fully kitted up and carrying (open carry is legal in [unnamed city]). The demonstration was to protest George Floyd’s death. They were there to protest George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The organizers of the march thought they were “white supremacists” and were freaking out until my son spoke to them. “Hey, we agree with you, and we’re here to stand with you, and protect you if necessary.” They got along fine with the protestors during the entire event, even sharing the water bottles they’d brought.

      Then, after it was over, the organizer literally came up to them and said, “This was GREAT! Would you guys come and protect us later? We’re going to burn some shit down!”. True story.

      All “conservatives” don’t necessarily support ALL police activity, dislike people of other races reflexively, or believe everything their “leaders” tell them. But because the Left is so hypocritical, they are unwilling to unpack our actual beliefs and address them.

      We’ll see how that works out for them.

      • So they went to protest the death of a career criminal who died of a fentanyl and meth overdose. Typical Libertarian.

        • Either way Floyd died, the police are still responsible for the charges they have been accused of. Why? Because it’s much worse if they knew he was having an overdose and refused to render aid to a dying man in their custody, instead they squished his respiratory system and made jokes about drug users. There is a little hint of that in the IA interview with Tao. If they knew he was overdosed on Fentanyl as they claimed, they should have been giving him Narcan to prevent his death rather than sit on his neck and smile for the cameras. If they knew he was dying of an overdose, they should have paid attention to his breathing and gave him CPR once he stopped breathing.

          Any way you look at it, the cops did not care for Floyd’s life and actively decided to not provide medical aid to a prisoner. We will never know if Floyd would have still died because the police did not give him that chance.

          Other police officers have given Narcan to criminals/felons who have overdosed. They didn’t sit there and laugh or kneel on their lifeless body. Heck, I saw cops give Narcan to a man that was dying on a bus. that criminal woke up and eventually shot at police, killing a firefighter that saved him (it happened in Wisconsin).

        • the police are still responsible for the charges they have been accused of. Why? Because it’s much worse if they knew he was having an overdose and refused to render aid to a dying man in their custody
          Not being properly trained, just being stupid? Not having, skills, equipment, intellect, awareness? Even being grossly negligent to the point of criminality STILL does not rise to the level of MURDER in ANY degree… Should they be charged for CONTRIBUTING to George Floyds death? Possibly, but that guy was already dying when the cops got there, another 15 minutes and he would have been just another fentanyl overdose statistic, sometimes timing is everything..
          Does Narcan work on fentanyl? Yes, it does, but there are some things to keep in mind. While Narcan can work on fentanyl overdoses, these situations often happen extremely quickly, so it can be tough to act quickly enough to reverse a fentanyl overdose.
          Also, according to the CDC, multiple doses of naloxone may be required following a fentanyl overdose because of how potent fentanyl is in comparison to other opioids. This can be especially true when someone takes heroin or other drugs that are laced with fentanyl.

        • to Chief Censor
          Libertarians promote drug use. And then complain when the user flips out and the cops are called and he gets killed.

        • @MADDMAXX

          The cops claim he put a Fentanyl tablet in his mouth when the arresting officer told him to stop reaching into his SUV. They are demanding the charges be dropped due to this fact. They say they knew he was overdosing.

          “Second-degree murder is when a person commits a felony crime, and as a result, causes death – without intent.”

    • A true statement. And one that the white Libertarians Liberals and the Left will never acknowledge.
      Because then they would have to question the things they have supported. That have caused the break down of the traditional family.

    • But they can shoot back in those scenarios. They have to submit to violations from police or else. If you are not willing to be violated, you are likely to experience less lethal and lethal force from police.

  25. Talk about living in a fantasy. Rioters and looters think stealing and burning are justified by an altercation with the police.

        • @LarryinTX

          There is a lot of white Republicans taking government assistance in small town America. They are proud patriots. They are the Republicans demanding covid relief UBI checks and for Trump to spend a lot of money to save small town America from economic depression.

        • Dude you are full of shit. Source: I live in a “small” town. Small towns did not shut down. In fact, tons of businesses here refused to do so. I had daily conversations during the “stimulus” talks, and not one person I talked to was for it. Why? It enables the lazy, it hurts us in taxes, it causes inflation, and it’s fucking stupid.

          Nothing to see here, chief just making shit up again.

  26. Evil exists. Plain and simple. In many situations, stopping violent acts with violent acts become the final and only option.

    Sounds like Graeme Wood needs to fuckin’ grow up and realize the sheer amount of actual bad folk that’s out there. Most with his point of view have never really seen it first hand. It’s sobering too, to say the least.

    I’m sure most lefties would begin their journey to seeing the light if it winds up being them or their home or livelihood threatened by those hucking bricks and molotovs randomly.

  27. The three L’s can’t bring themselves to support the shooting of white criminals. Especially white criminals who wave rainbow flags, while they loot and burn. Those flags are all over the Antifa and BLM riots. Ya, that’s right I said it again. The same happened in San Francisco decades ago. The LGBTQxyz crowd caused millions in today’s dollars in damage to the city. After Dan White, an ex cop, was found not guilty of murdering the Mayor George Moscone and the first elected gay person. City supervisor Harvey Milk.

    They should have been shot dead in the streets with the Molotov cocktail still in their hands.
    Now finally you have a young kid doing what adults refuse to do. Protect innocent life and property.

  28. You are making a lot of assumptions there. I’m struck by how similar the argument is to those that were brought out saying that violent games made users inured to violence.

    Yes, some could come away from these videos with a less than helpful mind set but you have no idea how often that happens or under what conditions.

    And sure there’s going to be a little bit of “Hero” in anyone attracted to helping folks and protecting them from danger/evil. That happens a lot with LE and especially with the younger members.

    But it’s not written in stone and the degree is not as black and white as you seem to think it is.

    We all are the sum of what we take in whether by reading or by watching videos or even playing computer games. But I doubt anyone could formulate a way in which to gauge how much a particular venue affects people on a particular subject.

    • If Kyle had no knowledge of how shit goes down in the streets, his little blue lives matter mind would have been shot by Glock boy. He got a big confirmation of how things really work in the streets. Those white privileged college boys think Kyle should have dropped his weapon and been victim to the mob because that would have saved three white boys, which apparently is more important because 3 is better than 1.

      • Those white privileged college boys think Kyle should have dropped his weapon and been victim to the mob because that would have saved three white boys,

        What incident are you talking about? All three of those “white privileged college boys” had felony convictions for stuff like child molestation, domestic abuse, battery, illegal possession of a firearm… REAL pillars of society.. If being dumb in a no-dumb zone was an actual crime, all three would be doing life without parole (oops, it appears two of them are)

        • I was referencing the people saying Kyle shouldn’t have used his gun in self defense at all and had no right to shoot people who were trying to “citizen arrest” him.

          Here is a perfect example of what they think.

  29. Talk about a fantasy world ? Unarmed black men at traffic stops are in less danger then police or car dealerships. That’s sort of a probable fact.

  30. Oh and as far as Kyle “wildly shooting”? I’d bet a lot of cops wish that they had the ability to strike their targets as well as he did under pressure.

    • The cops were not that far away. They spent all night sitting in their armored vehicles. They didn’t want any… They were too scared to walk the streets because the crowd had guns and were willing to use them. Those cops only want to “get some” when the target is unarmed of by themselves and out numbered. You can see on video how scared they were.

  31. I thought Kyle did a good job engaging his attackers without collateral damage.

    It could have gone sideways in the second attack after he fell. The attackers were very close to muzzle and could have grappled with him.

    He was fortunate. Very deliberate in his movements.

    • Poor choice of footwear for the area and situation. To each their own though.

      I think that’s why he slipped but I wasn’t there.

    • Very deliberate in his movements.

      Good trigger control, deadly aim, amazing self control and situational awareness.. Did not get that from Call of Duty, someone has worked pretty hard with the kid… Earlier someone mentioned a mag dump into the dumbass with the Glock, I am one of those who WOULD have done just that, but then that’s why God gave us more than one magazine, for those HEAVY adrenalin situations…

  32. This is one of those things that’s going to bring out the armchair quarterbacks in droves.

    Now, assuming there isn’t something that we don’t know here where he started all of this…

    Did he do everything perfectly? No, no one does. Mistakes happen.

    Was he restrained? Remarkably so. He’s not firing wildly at all. He’s picking and choosing his targets based on the threat they pose to him. He’s not mag dumping on a crowd.

    As for the rest;

    Obviously this guy has lived a pretty cushy life.

    Training is meant to acclimate you mentally and physically to the actual demands of a situation. Firefighters don’t just run into burning buildings on day one. They train for it and acclimate themselves to what a structure/car/aircraft/whatever fire is actually like because once you get into the situation there isn’t time for you to be learning key concepts on the job. Ditto anyone else who has a job that involves dangerous situations from Rescue Swimmers/Divers to EMS. You have to study the situations you might actually get into so you have some concept of the shitshow that may unfold in front of you IRL and deal with it as quickly and effectively as possible without freezing or stopping to logic the whole thing because there isn’t time to do that. You need to have a base set of skills down well enough that you can rapidly and effectively adapt them to what’s in front of you so that you don’t either shut down or stand there with your thumb up your ass thinking about what to do while shit goes sideways.

    Any of these things are a bit different than being a cubical dweller, as I suspect the author is.

    • I look forward to learning about his training regiment. Like how he learned to roll around on the ground as attackers pounced on him. His rifle sling not interfering with Clearing a weapons malfunction. And getting his long gun back into the fight. This is I think what “combatives training” is all about. Not just standing at a local in door range. And shooting at a paper target that doesn’t move.

      If you volunteer to step into the Arena. You won’t be just standing in one place with you gun.

      • I agree that it would be interesting.

        My issue with not all, but some, of the training out there is that I wonder about this very thing.

        Generally, from gunning to BJJ to boxing to rescue operations the people who are very good at these things have two factors in common. They’ve mastered the fundamentals and they have the right mindset.

        If you’ve got the basics down pat and you have the right mindset for the job you’re usually 98% of the way to being a pro. The flashy shit usually isn’t high percentage (in effectiveness), is for very narrow circumstances and is something most people will never truly do well.

        As Bruce Lee sagely pointed out: “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

  33. For a bunch of immigrants to this country to come together to protect their own property, their businesses, their places of employment, their families and relatives and friends as the city burns around them and the police put up barricades to hide behind, all that is more commendable than I can find words to praise them. That was the California Market in 1992 Los Angeles, that was heroic. Presidential Medals of Freedom should have been handed out to a bunch of “Roof Koreans”.

    And that’s a compliment, “Roof Korean”. It’s racial and it’s ethnic and it is a glowing compliment and a fine example to anyone.

    But that’s not Rittenhouse. That’s not some underage kid with dreams of action leaving his parents home with his rifle to cross state lines and get into the bad craziness a half hour away. That was fucking stupid. Who asked that kid to be there? Who is the property owner?

    In the moments when he fired it sure looks like self defense to me. Videos show that. Even the New York Times has presented their analysis of the video pointing out that Rittenhouse was chased, attacked, that people in the crowd had guns and fired those guns. Check this out:
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/us/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-shooting-video.html

    He defended himself, I think he’ll get off in the end. After a long hard fight and a lot of money spent by other people and his parents.

    Maybe when he grows up he’ll think better about chasing his childhood fantasies with rifle in hand.

    I’d love to see America embrace the “A Well Regulated Militia…” part of it, provide training and discipline with arms and working together. That’d be amazing. Could easily put the stop on these shit shows. You wouldn’t have lone actors wandering in crowds, which is when and why Rittenhouse got into trouble. Lacking the training and discipline to remain with the group, remain on the property, not wander off and be cut off by either the crowd or police maneuvers, both of which happened.

    A little training and discipline, a little more age too, and maybe even rise to the level of the Roof Koreans of 1992.

    • You just hate it that it was a trained white kid??? Doing what the cops and the tyrant mayor and Governor refuse to do.

    • I’d like to know what transpired right before skin head guy started chasing Rittenhouse. Probably just more mouthing off from the guy that was seen on video begging to be shot.

      • If it goes to trial I’ll be really interested in what the judge allows in and what is kept out.

        I’m sure there will be a fight over much of the video especially ‘Bald guy shoot me ni***’

        • I doubt this goes to court. It’s malicious prosecution in plain view, mostly likely for her reelection efforts.

          The video evidence can’t be kept out because it shows motive and the initial confrontation between the suspect and the “victims.”

      • Kyle was using a fire extinguisher to put out fires the crowd were starting. This caused the crowd to turn on Kyle and threaten him for interfering, which is caught on camera (as you seen). From what I know, Kyle then went down the road to a used car dealership with another militiaman carrying the fire extinguisher and spoke with Rosenbaum about the criminal acts. When Kyle heard/saw people damaging the cars to prep them to lit on fire, he ran towards them, as Kyle took off Rosenbaum gave chase and tried to take Kyle’s gun. One of the men Kyle was talking to pulled out a handgun and shot towards Kyle as Rosenbaum threw a bag with what appears to have been a bottle. Then another person from the arson crew fired 3 rounds from a handgun as Kyle went around the cars to circle back to Rosenbaum.

        This information is being ignored to paint the picture that Kyle was firing on a crowd of protesters who were minding their own business. They don’t show the videos that would provide motive as to why the crowd wanted Kyle dead and they won’t show videos of why Kyle would be doing what he was. Kyle literally provided aid to protesters after cops attacked them even though some protesters maced him at one point.

        People see what they want and the media is willing to feed them that. For instance, Trump fans are saying a molotov was thrown at Kyle, which is total propaganda fake news. The other side is saying Kyle is an alt right mass shooter who went out to stack black bodies because he hates BLM protesters.

        • It’s not “total propaganda fake news.” It’s what most of us thought, probably including you, when we first saw the video — it looked like a molotov that didn’t get properly lit.

          Turns out it wasn’t one, but as usual with these things, the initial approximation is the one that stuck. (It’s a lot more memorable than “an object that may have been a brick or a rubber glove or bottle full of frozen water, wrapped in a bag that looked like it may have been on fire because it was backlit in a few frames of a shaky video.”)

        • @Ing

          I don’t claim Antifa uses molotovs because they have specifically told their members not to use such weapons. Their lawyers have explained to Antifa not to use such items. This is why you don’t have numerous videos of Antifa using molotovs in the last 3 months. You will see Antifa goat BLM into using them, but Antifa won’t. They have a designed plan on how to set fire to cars and they refuse to use molotovs as a weapon against people (including police).

          Antifa will use fireworks though. They look at fireworks as the Antifa version of flashbangs. If cops use flashbangs and smoke grenades on them they will start using fireworks.

          Trump fans were putting out fake news about molotovs because that is considered a deadly weapon, thus deadly force would be allowed for defense. There has only been a couple of instances where people used a molotov or tried to use a molotov against people, one of those was from a suicidal white woman who tried to use it against the cops and a bunch of boogaloo military guys who wanted to use them to spark riots in Nevada.

          Recently in Oregon or Washington Antifa did attack a police building with molotovs. They threw them at the doors of the building. This wasn’t at a riot, it was a targeted attempt on police.

        • Ing…an object that may have been a brick or a rubber glove or bottle full of frozen water, wrapped in a bag that looked like it may have been on fire because it was backlit in a few frames of a shaky video

          There is at least one video that clearly shows the bag on fire as it was thrown at the kid… I don’t know what was in the bag but it WAS burning….

      • Agreed. Would be helpful in proving self defense or otherwise.

        I’m thinking it was self defense in all three shootings. But he was still an idiot for being there, off his turf, underage, no support.

        That is not want those Roof Koreans did.

        • The Roof Koreans didn’t have shoot anyone because the criminals in LA California are smart enough to avoid people with guns. Not so much in Wisconsin.

        • You can tell the blacks from the white wannabe revolutionary LARPers. The ghetto dwellers know what bullets do to the human body, and take cover, will only attack the unarmed. The white boys even with jail time think it’s all Hollywood.

      • Check it out. It’s exactly what I had seen and thought. Now if we can get footage of the other shooter/s that fired at Kyle after he got up from the floor. How can police claim 1st degree murder when they have all the evidence necessary to arrest the lynch mob for attempted murder?

    • That was fucking stupid. Who asked that kid to be there? Who is the property owner?

      The Kid has family in Kenosha, the garage is owned by a family friend who “REQUESTED” their help after the shitbags had attacked his business TWO nights in a row over an incident he had absolutely NOTHING to do with…

  34. The left is the enemy. They deserve no peace or quarter. They are a cancer that must be eradicated, whatever the cost.

  35. This is why you don’t have numerous videos of Antifa using molotovs in the last 3 months

    You may be right, I can only find like 6 instances of Antifa using molotovs since the two dumbass attorneys attacked an occupied cop car in Albany in mid June…

  36. Pick your battles wisely. Maybe not in lefty Democrat cities and States. Lawfair is as much a part of the current culture war as is any amount of violence.
    This ‘sheepdog’ mentality is going to get you burned by the same ‘justice system’ you are trying to support. Government will not stand for competition. The lefty politicians&media will do their best to make an example of you, to all the rest. “Do not resist your destruction”

    Instead of rushing to keep Democrat voters safe from their own folly, how about strengthening your own communities? Join the local volunteer LE. Be active in local elections, help campaign for leaders that will keep the madness from your own doorstep?

    The Left in America have released tens of thousands of criminals onto the streets(when over 15 million are out of work, btw), refused to charge those who are taken ‘downtown’, abolished the bail bond system in 13 states, and refuse to deport millions of illegal aliens . You think you are going to save these places?

  37. If Kyle Rittenhouse watched a bunch of self-defense videos and was influenced, as this Wood a$$hat says, to imagine himself a Fantasy Operator, I sure wish Kyle would provide a list of the ones he watched. After watching three or four videos of hm in Kenosha I thought to myself, “This is a 17 year-old?” I watched quite a few more and became certain his acts were in self-defense and was impressed with his focus, cool head and apparent willingness to own what had happened.

    He has a great legal team to defend him now. IF he is actually tried, the outcome of his trial will be highly significant to every American loyal to the Constitutional Republic contemplating what they will do as the next several very tumultuous months unfold.

    You all realize there will be escalating violence no matter who is elected POTUS in November, don’t you?

    There’s a Poster I cannot figure out how to post that reads:
    “The First Veteran of America’s Second Civil War is Kyle Rittenhouse.”

  38. I personally think the kid should have stayed home, but to say he was wildly firing is complete crap.

    Once things went down he handled himself well. He ran away when he could. When they caught him and were beating him he only fired and hit his attackers then stopped shooting and continued to escape.

    I don’t know what planet these people are on where the attacking mob chasing down a teenager are the good guys and the kid that tried to escape and used minimal force necessary is the bad guy.

    • @grey man

      “Kid shouldn’t have been there…”

      I disagree with your synopsis…Kyle absolutely should have been there!

      The Left is always encouraging their youth to become involved, take a stand…do something. Kyle was active for the conservative side…he became involved, he did something. Earlier in the day there are videos of him scrubbing off the graffitti, offering medical care and cleaning up trash the rioters “mostly peaceful” protesters left everywhere.

      Kyle was targeted by the vermin because he was young, detached from any other back-up and looked to be an easy “victory”. He attempted to retreat…the mob chose to follow him even when they were not threatened and to engage as a bullying group on him. When he was down they kicked him and slammed blunt objects into his head…at this time he was afraid for his life and responded with the absolute minimum force necessary to escape from his attackers.

      I notice the local “authorities” have not arrested Glock Guy…a felon in possession of and attempting to use a weapon prohibited to him…here is a bona fide example of the selective enforcement that the Left / AntiFa / BLM are always harping about….and?…crickets.

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