Again With the "Brandishing"?

 brandish

[ˈbrandiSH]

VERB

1. wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.

   "a man leaped out brandishing a knife"

   synonyms:

   flourish · wave · shake · wield · raise · hold aloft · swing · twirl · wag · swish · flap · display · flaunt · show off

Although Michigan has an open carry law, it prohibits brandishing a weapon in a public place. One of the reasons there was a push to make concealed carry permits easier to obtain a few years ago was that a person openly carrying could conceivably be charged with brandishing.  I don't know if it ever really happened, but some people were worried about it.  After they got their concealed law passed, they went on to establish their right to open carry, which they already had on paper.  Last I heard, Michigan legislators were still trying to come up with a legal definition of "brandishing".  I have not heard that they ever succeeded, but there are a lot of things of which I have not heard.  I found this definition easily, and I don't know why they can't just use that.  Okay, I see a problem with the synonym "display".  This could be interpreted to mean that, if the weapon is visible, it is being brandished.  So why can't they just omit that one word from the legal definition?  

Be that as it may, Uncle Ken is the only one I have read about accusing Rittenhouse of brandishing.  I wouldn't call carrying a rifle slung over your shoulder brandishing, but some people might if their sensibilities are offended by the mere sight of a firearm.  Maybe, if Rittenhouse had brandished his weapon at his attackers instead of running away from them, they might have backed off and he wouldn't have had to shoot them.  It is commonly known that you should never run away from a dangerous predator because it gives them the impression that you are prey.  My last dog Splash was one of the most timid dogs I've ever seen, but even he would chase a rabbit or anything else that ran away from him.  I once saw him chasing the neighbor's cat down our driveway.  About halfway down, the cat switched ends and faced poor Splash, who immediately turned tail and ran back into his dog house. 

I think that Rittenhouse displayed poor judgement by going to the riot in the first place but, if he felt that he had to go there, it would have been even poorer judgement to go there unarmed.  If Uncle Ken felt comfortable walking around unarmed in the middle of a riot, it would seem to be inconsistent with his avowed Atheism.  For it is written: "God protects the fools and the drunks."