Gun-waving St. Louis couple indicted on weapons and evidence-tampering charges

A grand jury in St. Louis Tuesday indicted a couple on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence on Tuesday, more than three months after they confronted anti-racism protesters marching by their mansion with guns, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Why it matters: Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both attorneys, became heroes in conservative circles after the event went viral. They were invited to speak and endorse President Trump at the Republican National Convention in August.

• Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) has already said he will pardon the couple if they are convicted.

What they're saying: Outside the courthouse Tuesday, Mark McCloskey said the city's "leftist" government is targeting him and his wife "for doing no more than exercising our 2nd Amendment rights," according to the Post-Dispatch.

• He accused protesters of being violent and screaming threats of death and rape and arson. "Nobody gets charged but we get charged," he said.
• "The government chooses to persecute us for doing no more than exercising our right to defend ourselves, our home, our property and our family and now we're getting drug here time after time after time and for what?"

What's next: Joel Schwartz, the McCloskeys' attorney, said he plans to request a transcript or recording of the grand jury's proceedings if such records were kept.