Kyle Rittenhouse used a Smith & Wesson M&P15, an AR‑15–style semi‑automatic rifle chambered in .223/5.56×45 mm, during the Kenosha shootings in August 2020.

What Type of Gun Did Kyle Rittenhouse Use?

Quick Scoop

  • The weapon was an AR‑15–style semi‑automatic rifle.
  • Specifically, it was a Smith & Wesson M&P15.
  • It was chambered in .223/5.56×45 mm, a common rifle caliber in the U.S.

In practical terms, this means he was carrying a lightweight, magazine‑fed rifle commonly associated with the AR‑15 platform, not a handgun or shotgun.

A Bit More Detail

The rifle was originally purchased by his friend Dominick Black, who was old enough to buy it legally, and was later used by Rittenhouse during the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020.

Court records and news reports describe it consistently as a Smith & Wesson AR‑style semi‑automatic rifle with a barrel length over 16 inches, which mattered for how Wisconsin firearm law applied in his case.

Because the case became a national flashpoint, the specific make and model of the gun turned into part of the public debate, especially in discussions about gun laws, open carry, and minors possessing rifles.

Why This Still Shows Up in the News

  • The rifle has been ordered destroyed so it cannot become a political symbol or collector’s item.
  • Legal and political discussions still use the case when arguing about self‑defense, protest policing, and AR‑15–style rifles in public.

In recent years, the phrase “what type of gun did Kyle Rittenhouse use” keeps trending because people revisit the trial, gun‑law debates, and broader conversations about protest violence in the U.S.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.