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Rittenhouse prosecutor claims, contrary to law, that 'you lose the right to self-defense when you're the one who brought the gun'
Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

Rittenhouse prosecutor claims, contrary to law, that 'you lose the right to self-defense when you're the one who brought the gun'

The lead prosecutor in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial made an extremely puzzling claim involving guns and self-defense during his closing arguments to the jury Monday afternoon.

What did he say?

In an obvious affront to the second amendment rights of all Americans, Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger argued that the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse, gave up his right to self-defense when he chose to bring a gun to the Black Lives Matter riots in the Wisconsin city last summer.

"You can't claim self-defense against an unarmed man," Binger stated before adding, "You lose the right to self-defense when you're the one who brought the gun." The law does not state, either in Wisconsin or elsewhere, that the self-defense can only be claimed against people who are armed with a gun.

Elsewhere he claimed, "You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create. If you're the one threatening others, you lose the right to claim self-defense," according to Newsweek.

In their closing arguments, Binger and his team suggested that Rittenhouse was responsible for provoking the "entire incident" of attacks from rioters on Aug. 25, 2020, by bringing a weapon to the city and thus could not claim self-defense in the incidents.

Binger pointed to a moment prior to the Rittenhouse's shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum in which the defendant allegedly put down a fire extinguisher and pointed a gun at a bystander.

"This is the provocation," the prosecutor remarked. "This is what starts the incident."

What's the background?

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the incident, is facing multiple felony murder charges for fatally shooting Rosenbaum (36), Anthony Huber (26), and wounding Gage Grosskreutz (28) during the riots in Kenosha last summer.

The Illinois teenager has maintained that he was present at the riots in order to protect local businesses against looting and burning and to provide medical aid to people injured during the uprisings. His legal defense has argued that their client acted in self-defense when he shot three men with an AR-15.

Videos of the incidents seen by the public appear to show Rittenhouse being chased down and physically threatened before he fired any shots. The defendant himself testified last week that Rosenbaum had threatened to kill him verbally before running after him and grabbing the barrel of his gun.

Later, he was chased down yet again and hit in the head with a skateboard by Huber prior to firing his own gun. Grosskreutz, who survived the gunshot wound to his arm, testified that he pointed a handgun at Rittenhouse before the defendant shot him.

The defense is expected to make its closing argument in the case later in the afternoon, then a jury will begin deliberating whether or not to convict.

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Phil Shiver

Phil Shiver

Phil Shiver is a former staff writer for The Blaze. He has a BA in History and an MA in Theology. He currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina. You can reach him on Twitter @kpshiver3.