ST. LOUIS 鈥 A semiautomatic rifle that had been held by police for five years is back in the hands of the lawyer who waved it at protesters in 2020.
Mark McCloskey, wearing a bright blue suit and carrying a camouflage rifle bag, picked up the gun from 果酱视频 police on Friday, .
His wife, Patricia, who pleaded guilty alongside her husband in 2021 to brandishing the weapons at protesters, still hasn鈥檛 gotten back her gun, McCloskey said.
鈥淚t only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back!鈥 McCloskey . 鈥淲e defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down.鈥
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Since their arrest, the McCloskeys have become something of a beacon for gun-rights advocates and conservatives online. Mark attempted to funnel that fervor into a bid to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate in 2022 but was defeated in the Republican primary.
In March, he was a part of a team of lawyers who announced plans to sue the federal government on behalf of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Online, he鈥檚 become a prominent right-wing commentator, vowing to combat the 鈥渄eep state鈥 and amassing over 62,000 followers on X.
The McCloskeys were arrested in 2020 after they pointed their weapons at racial justice protesters who were marching near their Portland Place home. A year later, they pleaded guilty to the crime but were pardoned by former Gov. Mike Parson soon after.
Patricia and Mark McCloskey confront protesters marching past their house in the Central West End on June 28, 2020.
Almost immediately after their pardon, Mark McCloskey kicked off a legal battle to retrieve the guns, suing for their return. 果酱视频 police to return his AR-15 on Thursday.
鈥淚鈥檇 have liked to see this process go faster, but I don鈥檛 think the process should have happened at all,鈥 he said in an interview on Monday. 鈥淏ut I guess now cooler heads prevailed.鈥
An appeals court in 2023 ruled that the McCloskeys weren鈥檛 entitled to the return of their guns, saying the couple鈥檚 convictions had been overturned 鈥 not their guilt.
But the McCloskeys argued that with their pardon 鈥 and the expungement of their records in 2024 鈥 they should be able to retrieve the weapons.
鈥淚 thought since we were pardoned, it鈥檇 be obvious that we should鈥檝e gotten our guns back,鈥 Mark said.
Patricia鈥檚 Bryco pistol is still in the custody of the 果酱视频 sheriff鈥檚 department, he said. He said he expects that gun to be returned by next week.
A closer look at the confrontation on June 28, 2020 between Mark and Patricia McCloskey and protesters in front of their house. Video by Jeremy Kohler.聽
