Kyle Rittenhouse is expanding his reach in Texas. Far-right Republicans are welcoming him.

Continuing to build his popularity in conservative circles after being acquitted for fatally shooting two Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha, Wisc., in 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse is expanding his influence in Texas politics.

Through a Fort Worth-based nonprofit that filed organizational documents with the Texas secretary of state's office in July, the Rittenhouse Foundation is set up to promote and protect access to firearms.

Rittenhouse says in the filing the nonprofit will work to ensure "the Second Amendment is preserved through education and legal assistance” in an effort to protect "human and civil rights secured by law, including an individual’s inalienable right to bear arms."

Even in its infancy, the new nonprofit is tied to powerful players in Texas' far-right Republican politics.

Rittenhouse, along with Texas Gun Rights President Chris McNutt and Defend Texas Liberty PAC Treasurer Shelby Griesinger, make up the foundation's leadership board.

Defend Texas Liberty PAC has been a major contributor to political candidates that are deeper shades of red than mainstream conservative Republicans, often attacking House Republicans and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, for not passing enough conservative legislation on school choice, gender-affirming care and abortion.

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The Defend Texas Liberty PAC, led by former Republican state Rep. Jonathan Stickland of Willow Park, has also rallied against the impeachment proceedings of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

In June, as a moratorium on campaign donations was lifted after the state legislative session, Stickland's PAC donated a $1 million contribution, alongside a $2 million loan, to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who will preside in a role similar to a judge in Paxton's impeachment trial slated to begin Sept. 5.

Along with other influential and powerful conservative organizations and PACs, Defend Texas Liberty is backed by conservative megadonors Tim Dunn and brothers Farris and Dan Wilks. This year, Dunn contributed just shy of $2 million to the PAC which received $1.5 million from Farris and Jo Ann Wilks.

Over the years, the West Texas oil tycoons have contributed millions to conservative social causes, candidates and institutions that promote Christian evangelical values.

After a Texas Tribune story on the Rittenhouse Foundation on Wednesday, Stickland tweeted a confirmation that Rittenhouse is increasingly involved with the established, billionaire-backed conservative support apparatus.

"Let me end the speculation," Stickland said, posting a photo of himself and Rittenhouse on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

In reply, Rittenhouse called Stickland the "Most conservative boss out there!" while he donned a hat for Pale Horse Strategies, which is a political consulting firm in line with supporting candidates backed by Dunn.

Rittenhouse, an Illinois native, shot three people in Wisconsin, two fatally, during a night of protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white Kenosha police officer. At the time, during the summer of 2020, social unrest and protests had sprung up nationwide in response to the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges against him after being found to have acted in self-defense.

Rittenhouse began his initial descent into Texas politics earlier this year when he was set to take part in a "rally against censorship" at a brewery in Conroe, just south of Houston.

Frustration and public outcry about Rittenhouse's involvement resulted in the brewery canceling its part in hosting the event, which eventually took place in a Conroe convention center.

Additional material from The Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Kyle Rittenhouse starts Texas foundation to preserve Second Amendment