Rittenhouse Case Highlights the Nations Deep Division

Summary

The article highlights the key events and issues resulting from the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse because of the homicide and attempted murder associated with the August 2020 shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin. According to Thrust (2021), the major issues that mired the Rittenhouse case were the unlawful ownership of a military-style semiautomatic weapon, the countrys controversial problems of race and the duty of self-defense, and the subject of gun regulation and the right to carry. For example, the dismissal of the felony charge, which had potential imprisonment of not less than a year, was merely a footnote in the context of a much larger systemic failure in the case. However, it served as a caution that, in addition to contentious issues of race and the right to self-defense in the U.S., the Rittenhouse case emphasized the rising abundance of weapons on American streets and the futility of efforts to implement even minor new gun regulations.

Gun legislation, in general, has been more lenient, with open carry being permitted in many states. However, the Rittenhouse case has sparked debates about gun regulation and the right to carry. According to Thrust (2021), if Kyle had been sentenced, it would have had a chilling impact on individuals carrying weapons in public. Furthermore, Dominic Blacks case, just like Rittenhouses, was still pending in court due to racial prejudice. The Rittenhouses case decision, on the other hand, was seen as a & win for the fringe (Thrust, 2021). As a result, the state should clarify its position on gun control, as Wisconsin sits atop Republican-controlled states that lacked gun restrictions and right-to-carry policies and Democrat-controlled states that have been gradually enforcing severe limits.

Analysis

The article employs several public relations (PR) terminologies to convey its message to a wider audience. According to Howard and Mathews (2013), the usage of terms like loss of human life or property loss is considered newsworthy. In this case, Thrust (2013) explores the notion of loss of life concerning the individuals murdered by Rittenhouse at Kenosha, along with issues of property protection as employed by the defendants in the case. In the post, Rittenhouse was merely attempting to assist people to secure their properties, exposing him to gun-related violence in his effort for self-defense. As per Howard and Mathews (2013), the deployment of such concepts as infographics and links to related items is intended to push out news, thereby increasing media relations to newsreaders. For example, the article uses tossed out a charge, run on ammunition, ghost guns, and strike down among others.

Articles containing stories related to powerful people in society have greater coverage. For instance, news with prominence and reference to a societys top member tends to have a longer record of accomplishment in terms of diffusion (Howard & Mathews, 2013). Thrust (2021) cites the opinion of U.S. President, Mr. Joe Biden, on the issue of the Rittenhouse verdict. In this regard, the Thrust understands that the President has many followers on social media and would track a wider coverage towards their news outlet. Moreover, publications about the affluent, powerful, popular, and infamous persons in society receive more attention (Djafarova & Trofimenko, 2019). Finally, the articles feature conflict, personalization, and unexpectedness concerning anti and pro-gun regulation, Kyle Rittenhouse as a personality, and the verdict decision, respectively, to boost the spread of the use (Howard & Mathews, 2013; Thrust, 2021). As a case in point, the key question raised by the Rittenhouse case is why or why not gun-control legislation illegal in light of the Second Amendments right of the people to keep and bear arms.