This stems from the Kyle Rittenhouse discussion:
Wisconsin prohibits possession of rifles by minors, but the same section seems to say that it only applies when the rifle is "short-barrel".
Can a minor possess an AR-15 rifle in Wisconsin?
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Sign up to join this communityThis stems from the Kyle Rittenhouse discussion:
Wisconsin prohibits possession of rifles by minors, but the same section seems to say that it only applies when the rifle is "short-barrel".
Can a minor possess an AR-15 rifle in Wisconsin?
A "short-barreled rifle" is defined under Wisconsin law as
a rifle having one or more barrels having a length of less than 16 inches measured from closed breech or bolt face to muzzle or a rifle having an overall length of less than 26 inches.
It is reported that AR-15 rifles can have barrel lengths between 7" to 24": there is no clear evidence regarding the barrel length of his rifle.
I used photoshop to do rough calculations. Using Kyle's height as a reference point (162cm / 5ft 4"), as this is what was listed on his arrest warrant. I roughly measured his rifle to be 80cm (31.4") long from the very end of the stock to the very tip of the barrel. So it is definitely longer than 26" overall as per the second clause in user6726's citation of Wisconsin law. The barrel measures in at 16.8" from breech face to the tip of the barrel.
Despite the possible margin of error that can be made in measuring objects in this manner, I think that the length of the rifle is not an issue in the law debate surrounding Kyle as far as I'm concerned as it seems to be a legal "long barrel rifle"
Edit: To those who know more about rifles/guns and where exactly the breechface starts on the rifle in the photo pictured below, please let me know if the measurement is too short or too long.