Kyle Rittenhouse Slammed Over Gun Message

Kyle Rittenhouse has been slammed online for supporting a political candidate who is a proponent of "protecting Texans from unconstitutional federal gun laws."

Rittenhouse, 21, gained notoriety in August 2020 when, at the age of 17, he shot and killed two men—Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, as well as injuring 26-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz—at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

He said the three shootings, carried out with a semi-automatic AR-15-style assault rifle, were in self-defense. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest where the shootings took place was held after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a white police officer.

Following his trial, Rittenhouse was acquitted in November 2021 on charges of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and two charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Now he's encouraging people to vote for Republican Party member Andy Hopper, who is running for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 64—and people aren't happy.

Newsweek contacted Rittenhouse via X (formerly Twitter) for comment Monday.

"Early Voting has started in Texas and I urge you all who can to get out and vote Andy Hopper for Texas House District 64. Andy's opponent has a concerning track record, including voting to codify portions of Biden's gun control agenda into law and failing to vote in support of protecting Texans from unconstitutional federal gun laws," he posted to X.

"We cannot let our Second Amendment rights be eroded any further. That's why it's absolutely crucial to elect Andy Hopper, a fearless and relentless defender of our liberties. Join me in supporting Andy Hopper at the polls to defend our constitutional rights and ensure a conservation champion gets elected."

According to Hopper's website, there are four key components that he believes in when it comes to gun rights.

"Federal property on Texas soil is still Texas soil and should not invalidate the right to carry firearms," it says in a bullet point on his website under the heading "Gun Rights."

Other bullet points say, "Expand 'Constitutional Carry' to extend the same rights and privileges as 'Licensed Carry,'" "Never remove the constitutional rights of citizens using 'Red Flag' laws without due process" and "Make Texas an actual 2nd Amendment Sanctuary."

People have taken to the comments of Rittenhouse's post to criticize him.

"Oh look, the murderer has an opinion about guns," one person wrote.

"Yeah everybody listen to murdering Kyle about politics," said another.

"Ha! Person with proven track record of terrible decision-making endorses state politicians...yikes," a third person commented.

A fourth person added: "Shocker murderer is worried about gun control laws."

Others have told Rittenhouse to seek employment, referring to the fact that back in November, Rittenhouse's criminal defense attorney said the 21-year-old had lost all of his money since he was acquitted in the Wisconsin shootings.

"Get off Twitter and GET A JOB!!" a different X user commented.

"Do you have a job yet?" someone else asked.

However, not everyone took the opportunity to criticize Rittenhouse.

"Kyle you're a national treasure. Keep up the great work. Thank you for taking out the trash that day," someone said.

"Love ya Kyle. Got some more $$ coming your way if you launch another GoFundMe," another commented.

A third added: "Thanks for the support of @AndyHopperTX !"

A comment Rittenhouse shared regarding the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade went viral on social media recently, when he was slammed for comparing it to his own experience.

"I am trying to comprehend why the government was quick to reveal my name after I defended myself, but they still haven't released the names of the Kansas City shooters," Rittenhouse wrote.

At the time of writing it had been viewed 12.6 million times.