For the past day I've read a lot of opinion about the Rittenhouse verdict.

[WarGamer]

But only a FEW have hit on the actual problem AND solution.

State laws.

Open Carry can be made legal or illegal by State Legislatures.

No legal carry, Rittenhouse is unarmed.

No, the DoJ isn't going to take a "second bite of the apple"... lesson learned. Change laws.

And not Federal laws that will never pass and might not survive SCOTUS.

OH and look at self defense laws, too.

State legislatures are responsible.

[tblue37]

1. Unfortunately, GOP controlled state legislatures are too often *irresponsible*

[ForgedCrank]

2. Seems a little extreme and maybe even a bit

misguided to take away the rights of 329, 999, 999 people because of what the other one did.
I prefer to punish the one offender instead.

[WarGamer]

4. States are big communities.

Communities have the right to govern how they want things to be in their community.

If people don't want guns in public they can change laws.

California and NY have plenty of problems BUT at least every person with a gun in public is a 9-1-1 call waiting to happen.

[madville]

6. Not sure what people mean by reforming self defense laws

WI isn’t even a stand your ground state and he was even retreating as some states require that still have “duty to retreat” written into their laws.

[Arcussenilis]

3. Live in Missouri

I always carry since a man tried getting me into his vehicle while I was out for a walk in my rural neighborhood. Thankfully, pepper spray deterred him enough that I was able to get away and run to the closest house. But, I take no chances now.

[sanatanadharma]

5. Welcome to DU

May you live long and prosper.
With guns, I have my doubts.

[yagotme]

7. Welcome to DU!

Been looking to move to S. MO, but the market down there went nuts a year ago. Will wait a bit for it to settle back down again.

[Igel]

8. This was a law that tried to restrict certain kinds of weapons.

And in so doing, and being patched and poorly worded, it allowed something that probably wasn't intended.

That's the problem with "every that is is intended"--it's just no so.

[doc03]

9. It says Ohio concealed carry. Ohio is open and concealed carry nt

[Buckeye_Democrat]

11. That map did the same with Wisconsin. nt

[Takket]

10. i agree with you...

i believe rittenhouse is a murderer but that is just my opinion, and the way the law is written, and the video of him running away from the first person he eventually shot, i would have voted not guilty too (based on the evidence actually presented). I believe the jury did the right thing.

but something has to be done to say if you put yourself willingly into a situation where you are aware violence is occurring or may occur, and do something that could be construed as initiating or baiting a confrontation, you can't just turn around, try to run away, then shoot someone if they follow you. other people have the right to defend themselves too if they see you as a threat, and juries should be given more latitude to interpret that based on the evidence. MY wife likes to say "how much lettuce before it is a salad"? By that I mean, how much aggressive behavior can you exhibit before you can't claim "self defense" anymore?

I like to think of self defense as "I'm minding my own business going about my life, and out of nowhere my life is in danger". I wouldn't say what Rittenhouse did fits my personal definition, but the law disagrees with me. Somewhere we need to draw the line so people like Rittenhouse end up on the "guilty" side of it in the future.

I'd look to Congress to take some action on the Federal level but I doubt it would ever happen because making it legally more difficult for someone to claim self defense is the kind of thing the GOP would CRUSH us with.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

12. Agreed, especially with the evidence that the judge...

... didn't allow in that case.

Instead, the jury only got to hear that Rittenhouse's intention for bringing a gun was self-defense. And he was otherwise some saintly do-gooder, never wanting to cause harm to anyone there.

[crickets]

13. K&R for the post and the discussion.