Couple Who Waved Guns At BLM Protesters, Drawing Media Outrage, Pardoned By Missouri Governor

The UN Human Rights Committee said that "worldwide protests in support of Black Lives Matter," such as this one in Graham, North Carolina on July 11, 2020, have underscored the importance of the right to peaceful assembly — Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who waved guns at protesters passing by their mansion in June 2020, have been pardoned. AFP / Logan Cyrus

KEY POINTS

The McCloskeys were pardoned last week; announcement was made Tuesday
Mark Mccloskey waved a semiautomatic gun at BLM protesters, wife Patricia pointed a pistol
The couple pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges
Mark announced he would run for the Senate in May

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has pardoned a St. Louis couple who made national news during the summer of 2020 after they waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters.

Patricia and Mark McCloskey were pardoned along with nine others and two commutations that the Republican governor announced late last week, NBC reported. The couple made national headlines after photos and a video emerged of Patricia waving a pistol and Mark a semiautomatic gun at BLM protesters who passed by their mansion on the way to then-mayor Lyda Krewson’s house in St. Louis late June last year.

In one photo, Patricia can be seen pointing the pistol at one of the protesters who was a few feet away from where she was standing. The couple also yelled “Get out” at the BLM crowd, although no physical confrontations took place between them and the protesters.

Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson has announced pardons for Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis homeowners who pointed guns at protesters near their home last summer. https://t.co/4r0Oo4VHC6
— CNN (@CNN) August 4, 2021

The McCloskeys insisted that they brandished the guns to protect their property during the protests. They were first charged with felonies, which were later changed to misdemeanor charges. They pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges. After the plea deal, Mark said he would “do it again,” in reference to the gun-brandishing incident.

As part of the couple’s plea deal, the McCloskeys surrendered their weapons and Mark paid $750 in fines. Patricia was fined $2,000. Lawyer for the McCloskeys, Joel J. Schwartz, said his client, Mark in particular, “feels vindicated in his actions,” The New York Times reported.

During a hearing of the case earlier this year, Mark agreed that his actions put people at risk of danger. “That’s what the guns were there for,” he said.

“Mark McCloskey, who announced in May that he was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri, was unapologetic after the plea hearing.
“I’d do it again,” he said from the courthouse steps in downtown St. Louis.”https://t.co/4L6KRmtqar
— Bianca Beltrán (@BiancaNBCBoston) August 3, 2021

Former President Donald Trump was among the politicians who defended the McCloskeys after the incident made headlines, ABC reported. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also said the prosecution of Mark and Patricia was “politically motivated.” The couple appeared as guest speakers at last year’s Republican National Convention.

In May, Mark announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. In his announcement on Fox’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Mark said that “God came knocking on my door last summer disguised as an angry mob, and it really did wake me up.” Mark will run for the seat held by Republican Roy Blunt, who will not seek reelection in 2022.