This Shocked Me at the Rittenhouse Trial

Equating the actions of a police officer in any way with the actions of a 17-year-old civilian is an open invitation to vigilantism and citizen posses running wild in the streets. [View in Browser]( [Alternate text] [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [This Moment in the Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Stopped Me Cold]( [This Moment in the Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Stopped Me Cold]( On Monday, there came a shocking single line in the closing argument for the defense in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. In support of the notion that Rittenhouse’s killings were "privileged" under Wisconsin law as self-defense, defense attorney Mark Richards made a point to the jury that seemed curious at the time and looks even worse upon reflection. Key to his presentation was that Rittenhouse only fired his AR-15 four times and, as a corollary, that Rittenhouse wasn’t an "active shooter" as the prosecutor claimed, because he only killed two people and he didn't simply open up on the crowds around him. This was a Holy God moment to end all Holy God moments. [Read More]( [You're Responsible for Britney Spears. So Are We.]( [You're Responsible for Britney Spears. So Are We.]( The singer is finally free. But the rest of us must reckon with the role we played. [Read More]( [The 32 Best Beer Gifts to Impress Any Brew Snob]( [The 32 Best Beer Gifts to Impress Any Brew Snob]( Casual beer lovers will dig them, too. [Read More]( [Millionaires Use This Unexpected App to Grow Their Wealth (Now You Can Too)]( [In Partnership with Masterworks]( [Millionaires Use This Unexpected App to Grow Their Wealth (Now You Can Too)]( Masterworks lets users invest in the lucrative art market. Click below for priority access. [Learn More]( [The 24 Best Gifts for People in Committed Relationships With Bacon]( [The 24 Best Gifts for People in Committed Relationships With Bacon]( Every bacon-themed item is just the right amount of greasy, which is not easy. [Read More]( [The Best Peacoats Will Make You Look Like the Leading Man of Your Own Movie]( [The Best Peacoats Will Make You Look Like the Leading Man of Your Own Movie]( Embrace the look of our favorite cinematic heroes. [Read More]( [Alternate text] [The Things They Carried]( [The Things They Carried]( The most famous short story about the Vietnam War is also one of the best war stories ever written. [Read More]( [From the editors of Esquire: In an exclusive piece of fiction from Stephen King, a family takes a scenic route–and everything goes terribly wrong. Learn More!]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2021 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019