Griffey Introduces Second Amendment Bill In Honor of Kyle Rittenhouse

Photo Credit: Kyle Rittenhouse / Facebook & State Representative Bruce Griffey / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Tennessee State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) has introduced a bill to the Tennessee General Assembly to strengthen protection of self-defense and Second Amendment rights in the state.

House Bill 1769 (HB1769) also known as ‘Kyle’s Law,’ as introduced,  would require a court to order the state to reimburse a criminal defendant for all reasonable costs incurred in defense if the defendant was charged with a criminal homicide offense and found not guilty due to the justification of self-defense and the trier of fact determines that the defendant proved the self-defense claim by a preponderance of the evidence; authorizes the court to order the state or the prosecuting attorney, in their individual capacity, to pay damages for malicious prosecution. (Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 7 and Title 39.)

District 75 Representative Griffey told FOX 17 that “Kyle Rittenhouse had to defend himself not only against a first-degree murder charge over the course of a year-plus politically-motivated prosecution and a two-week jury trial, but also against widespread defamation and false branding by corrupt media outlets, simply for exercising his American, God-given right to self-defense.

Luckily, Kyle Rittenhouse was rightfully acquitted of all charges, but not after thousands of dollars were expended on attorney fees for his legal defense, reputational damage was incurred and emotional stress was suffered. 

Kyle Rittenhouse can never fully be made whole for what he was forced to endure, but under the law I’m proposing, if someone in TN is placed in the same situation as Kyle Rittenhouse in the future, he/she can at least be financially compensated. My bill will help deter what happened to Kyle Rittenhouse from happening to someone in Tennessee and will help protect the right of Tennesseans to self-defense.”

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Griffey is also presenting a proclamation to honor Rittenhouse stating:

Whereas, earlier in his teenage years, Mr. Rittenhouse participated in Grayslake-Lindenhurst-Hainesville Public Safety Cadet program run by local police departments, training aspiring police officers aged fourteen to twenty-one in the basics of law enforcement; and

Whereas, Kyle Rittenhouse deserves to be recognized as a hero who selflessly defended his community, protected businesses, and acted lawfully in the face of lawlessness; and

Whereas, he is a symbols of things that the Left is trying to destroy – our Constitution and our Second Amendment gun rights – and provides a light of hope that we can fight back against the enemies of our Constitution and win; and

Whereas, he stood up against the woke mainstream media, who tried to villainize him and assassinate his character with unfounded false claims, and not only won, but exposed their unapologetic lies; and

Whereas, Kyle Rittenhouse is a survivor who was victimized by three convicted felons, who chased him, assaulted him, tried to grab his gun, and caused him to fear for his life.  He was then victimized by malicious prosecutors who unfairly and irresponsibly demonized and persecuted him for exercising his legal right of self-defense.  He was further victimized by deceptive corporate media outlets more interested in pushing a leftist agenda than reporting the facts and the truth.  However, he stood strong, fought back, and won, which is a testament to his integrity and strength of character…

Rittenhouse was eventually cleared of all charges after fatally wounding two men in self-defense during a night of violent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020.

He had been charged with homicide, attempted homicide, reckless endangerment and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under age 18.

The possession of a dangerous weapon charge was dropped by Judge Bruce Schroeder due to a technicality.

After Rittenhouse’s plea of self-defense, the jury presented its verdict of ‘Not Guilty’ on all charges after more than three days of deliberations on Friday, November 19th, 2021. 

During the trial, Rittenhouse, who was 17 during the events of the protests, told the jury that he traveled from his home in Illinois to help protect businesses and help give medical aid in Kenosha amid the violent protests that were in response to the death of George Floyd.

Prosecutors attempted to paint Rittenhouse as a trouble-maker who intentionally traveled to Kenosha to find trouble and that he was responsible for escalating the situation by brandishing a firearm and aiming it at the protestors.

Mainstream media fully embraced and exacerbated the prosecution’s narrative, causing concern by the judge who promised the jury that every measure necessary would be taken in order to keep them safe following the verdict.

If you wish to contact your Tennessee state legislators about this bill or any other subject, you can find their contact information HERE.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com