Lawmakers push to change law that allowed Rittenhouse to carry weapon - WISN Milwaukee

KENOSHA, Wis. —

Some lawmakers are pushing to change the law that allowed Kyle Rittenhouse, a minor, to legally carry a dangerous weapon.

The lawmakers are trying to close what they're calling "a dangerous loophole."

It caught many by surprise when the judge in the Rittenhouse trial dismissed a charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a minor because of the length of the barrel of Rittenhouse's gun.

"Is it legal?" Judge Bruce Schroeder asked.

"It is not a short-barreled shotgun or short-barreled rifle, yes," prosecutor Thomas Binger said.

"Either by barrel or overall length?" Schroeder asked.

"Correct," Binger replied.

"Alright, and count six is dismissed," Schroeder said.

Under Wisconsin law, minors can carry guns with barrels longer than 16 inches, an exception some lawmakers say was meant strictly for hunting.

"We knew that he wasn't in Wisconsin to go deer hunting, so we thought it was important to clarify the law," state Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) said.

Andraca and several Democrats are pushing to clarify that the law applies only to hunting.

"It's the intent of the law in the first place. We don't want to leave it open to these kind of interpretations," Andraca said.

One of the Senate sponsors of that bill, Melissa Agard of Madison, said the current law is an example of a gap in Wisconsin gun laws that puts people at risk.

Kenosha state Sen. Robert Wirch, who attended the trial outside the courthouse, is a co-sponsor.

So is Kenosha state Rep. Tod Ohnstad, who describes it as "a dangerous loophole that must be clarified."

Republican Senate Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos did not immediately respond to WISN 12 News request for comment.

But Andraca, herself a gun owner who said she strongly supports the 2nd Amendment, hopes the measure will have bi-partisan support.

"Vast majority of responsible gun owners and hunters can tell the difference between a deer stand in the woods and downtown Kenosha," Andraca said.

Gun rights advocates watched Kyle Rittenhouse trial

source: https://www.wisn.com/article/change-law-that-allowed-rittenhouse-to-carry-weapon/38404698

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