A Sarasota gun shop has hired Kyle Rittenhouse, whose acquittal after he fatally shot two men and wounded a third during 2020 unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, drew national attention.
Shark Coast Tactical recently introduced Rittenhouse on its podcast as the newest member of the shop’s staff. Owner Will Meade called him “illustrious” and a valuable addition to the team.
Rittenhouse was 17 in August 2020 when he shot and killed two men and wounded another with an AR-15-style rifle at the protest in Kenosha. The demonstration followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse joined a group of armed men who said they were protecting businesses.
He claimed self-defense, saying that several demonstrators attacked him, and was acquitted of all charges
in November 2021.
Rittenhouse said he and his wife, Bella Rittenhouse, recently moved to Sarasota after he accepted a job at the gun shop at 2819 Bee Ridge Road.
When the episode aired on Aug. 25, Rittenhouse said he had been working at the shop for over a month. He told Meade that he enjoyed the Shark Coast Tactical team's "morale" and that he loved working in Sarasota.
"This is my life now, and I love my life," he said. "I sell guns for a living. It's fun."
The introductory episode included Rittenhouse's account of the protest, shootings and court trial. Asked whether controversy affects his treatment by the public or his workplace experience, Rittenhouse answered, “I carry a gun and I shoot straight.”
The Herald-Tribune contacted Shark Coast Tactical for comment. Owner Will Meade said, “I hired a kid who needed a job. He’s doing a great job, and is a great employee.”
Last year, another gun shop in Florida hired Rittenhouse. Gulf Coast Gun and Outdoors, a small business in Milton, closed in late 2025 after 10 years in business. There, Rittenhouse worked with the Northwest Florida gun shop to release his signature “KR-15” rifle model.
Chris Smith, owner of the now-closed store, said in a February 2025 Facebook post that Rittenhouse, whom he called “the Kenosha kid,” was a full-time employee.
Who is Kyle Rittenhouse?
The Antioch, Illinois, native fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz at a protest in 2020. At the time, he faced charges ranging from intentional homicide to reckless endangerment. A jury found him not guilty of all charges after he testified that he acted in self-defense.
Rittenhouse has since penned a book, "Acquitted," and in early 2024, he set out on a series of Turning Point USA-sponsored college speaking events dubbed the "Rittenhouse Recap." The speaking engagements focused on “the importance of the Second Amendment and the lies of the Black Lives Matter movement,” according to organizers quoted in previous USA TODAY reporting.
USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Gina Lee Castro contributed to this report.
Kendal Asbury is the real estate and development reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Have an idea, tip or question about development? Send her an email at kasbury@usatodayco.com. Connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Instagram @wordsbykendal, and support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Kyle Rittenhouse hired by Sarasota gun shop after local move
