Missouri Governor Pardons Couple Who Went Viral for Waving Guns at Protesters

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has officially pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who gained notoriety after going viral last year for brandishing their guns at demonstrators during the height of the protests following the killing of George Floyd.

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Mark McCloskey has recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750. Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. Neither one faced jail time nor did they risk losing their guns because their convictions were misdemeanors.

“They’re thrilled,” the couple’s attorney Joel Schwartz said. “As Mark McCloskey has stated, if he faced the same situation again, he would conduct himself in the same manner, and he feels he’s been vindicated by the governor’s pardon.”

“I’d do it again,” Mark McCloskey said following a plea hearing. “Any time the mob approaches me, I’ll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that’s what kept them from destroying my house and my family.”

The McCloskeys said they were threatened by the protesters but Special prosecutor Richard Callahan said his investigation determined that the protesters were peaceful.

In May, Mark McCloskey announced he is running for a Senate seat in Missouri, making the announcement on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News.

“God came knocking on my door last summer disguised as an angry mob,” McCloskey told Carlson. “And it really did wake me up.”

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.