Gun-toting Missouri couple pardoned

The US couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching past their mansion in Missouri last year have been pardoned, the state’s governor has announced.

Patricia and Mark McCloskey get their guns out. Picture: AFP

The US couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching past their mansion in Missouri last year have been pardoned, the state’s governor has announced.

The images of Mark and Patricia McCloskey armed and barefoot on their lawn made them instant symbols of America’s polarisation amid last summer’s racial justice protests.

Both were originally charged with felony misuse of weapons after they were seen waving their guns and shouting as the peaceful protest march against police abuse and racism passed by on June 28, 2020.

They subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of fourth degree assault for him and misdemeanour harassment for her last month and were fined $US750 and $US2000, respectively.

But Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson has granted the couple pardons, a move he had promised since early on in their legal process as conservatives in the state defended the McCloskeys’ actions.

There was no evidence that either had been threatened by the protesters on their street.

“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest,” the attorney for St Louis, Kimberly Gardner, said in a statement when the two were charged last year.

They became Republican heroes in the hotly fought presidential election last year, warning that Democrats would take away Americans’ gun rights.

“Make no mistake: No matter where you live, your family will not be safe in the radical Democrats’ America,” Mrs McCloskey said in a video the two made for the August Republican national convention that nominated Donald Trump for a second term as president.

In May Mr McCloskey announced he was running for one of Missouri’s seats in the US Senate. In a campaign video he highlighted the incident, while exaggerating the threat the couple faced. “When the angry mob came to destroy my house and kill my family, I took a stand against them,” he said. “I will never back down.”

AFP