Gun rights activist Kyle Rittenhouse made a surprise return to social media to announce that he is now married, and the internet is abuzz with comparisons between his new wife and late conservative figure Charlie Kirk.The 22-year-old shared the news on X on Wednesday, posting two photographs with his bride, Bella, including one in which she is seen holding an AR-15. “I’m back on social media, I’m back in the fight, and i’m here to stay,” he said. “For a quick update, 6 months ago I made the best decision of my life and married my best friend. Bell Rittenhouse, I couldn’t be happier. I love you beautiful.”Many social media users claimed that Bella Rittenhouse bears a striking resemblance to the late MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, who was also a huge pro-gun conservative voice. Kirk argued that limiting firearms infringed on individual liberty and that society must accept some level of gun deaths to preserve constitutional rights. He blamed cultural and mental health issues for violence rather than guns and frequently suggested armed guards in schools instead of new gun regulations. Charlie Kirk was the co-founder of Turning Point USA before he was shot and killed in September by a sniper named Tyler James Robinson while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31 years old. The shooting was treated as an assassination and brought in national reaction and tributes, even from President Donald Trump.Rittenhouse first gained national attention when, as a 17-year-old, he was involved in a shooting during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020. He faced charges including homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangerment in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, as well as the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 27. Rittenhouse claimed he had brought a semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit to Kenosha to protect businesses after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.Attorneys for Rittenhouse argued successfully that he acted in self-defence after being confronted and attacked by the three victims. He was acquitted on all counts on November 19, 2021. Since the trial, Rittenhouse has been an outspoken advocate for gun rights and a critic of gun control measures, including so-called “red flag” laws. “I support the Second Amendment because without it, I might not be here today,” he said in a later X post. “In 2020, when I was 17, I was put in a situation where violent criminals attacked me, struck me in the head multiple times, and one even pointed a gun at my face. I’m no hero. I had no choice but to defend my own life in that moment. I’m not in prison — and I’m alive — because the Founders recognized our God-given right to self-defense, and the jury recognized that simple fact. If you believe we must defend the Second Amendment with everything we’ve got, follow me.”
