Aug 3, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Missouri governor pardons McCloskeys, who pointed guns at protesters

Jacob Knutson

Mark and Patricia McCloskey holding firearms outside of their house as protesters walk down the street in protesters marching to St. Louis. — Mark and Patricia McCloskey holding firearms outside of their house as protesters walk down the street in protesters marching to St. Louis in June 2020. Photo: Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) on Tuesday pardoned Mike and Patricia McCloskey, a St. Louis couple that gained national notoriety after brandishing guns while social justice protesters marched by their mansion in June 2020.

Flashback: Last July, Parson vowed to pardon the couple — who pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree assault last month — if they were ever convicted of a crime.

The anti-racism demonstrators passed the McCloskey's mansion on their way to protest George Floyd’s death in front of the St. Louis mayor’s home. The couple emerged with an AR-15-style rifle and a semiautomatic pistol.
The couple was indicted on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence in October 2020 but entered a plea agreement this June.
No shots were fired and no one was injured during the incident.

The big picture: Mark McCloskey, who has become a hero in conservative circles, filed paperwork in May to run for Missouri's Senate seat.

The couple was invited to speak and endorse former President Trump at the Republican National Convention in August 2020.

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Missouri governor pardons McCloskeys, who pointed guns at protesters

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