Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who drew their legal firearms when Black Lives Matter demonstrators trespassed on their property in June 2020 after allegedly cutting through an iron gate.
The pardon is a victory for Second Amendment proponents and a resounding affirmation of the unwavering right of homeowners to stand their ground when confronted by feral mobs who invade their property.
The governor announced his pardon of the McCloskeys on Friday along with 10 other pardons and two commutations.
Mark McCloskey — a successful trial attorney who’s now running for the U.S. Senate — praised Parson for upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding homeowners.
“Today we are incredibly thankful that Governor Mike Parson righted this wrong and granted us pardons,” he wrote Wednesday.
“It was actually Governor Parson who, while serving as a State Senator, led the charge to pass the Castle Doctrine — guaranteeing Missourians the right to defend themselves with all necessary force.”
Statement from Mark and Patty McCloskey on Governor Parson’s Pardon pic.twitter.com/9OyFTNoQtp
— Mark McCloskey (@mccloskeyusa) August 4, 2021
Despite being defamed as a “racist” for defending his home, McCloskey remains unapologetic about having brandished his firearm at a mob of BLM trespassers. And he says he’d do it again in a heartbeat to protect his family and his property.
“I’d do it again,” McCloskey said, according to KTLA-TV. “Anytime 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.”
Leftists on Twitter are offended that this home owner stepped outside with a gun to prevent Black Lives Matter protestors from storming his home in St Louis. Good for him. pic.twitter.com/qCszCoTmdI
— Ian Miles Cheong @ stillgray.substack.com (@stillgray) June 29, 2020
On Twitter, clueless leftists gloated that the McCloskeys had pleaded guilty in June to two misdemeanor charges resulting in a combined fine of $2,750 and no jail time.
The nominal fines show that the misdemeanors were insignificant and that pleading guilty was a quick way to dispose of the case rather than letting it fester for months or years by fighting the charges.
Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault, which is a Class C misdemeanor, while Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment, a Class A misdemeanor. Mark was fined $750, while Patricia was fined $2,000.
The misdemeanor charges were a far cry from the original indictment, which was two dubious felony charges of “unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering.”
Kim Gardner, the George Soros-backed St. Louis attorney who tried to maliciously prosecute the McCloskeys, was kicked off the case in December 2020 amid allegations that she “initiated a criminal prosecution for political purposes” and then tried to raise money off it.
Kim Gardner, the prosecutor going after the McCloskeys, is grossly corrupt. She mishandles cases, routinely dismisses felony charges & is also accused of repeatedly discriminating against white employees.https://t.co/Kijk6iZG1yhttps://t.co/5yEWizDw1Ehttps://t.co/TMYRI8lHgb
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) July 11, 2020
Naturally, Democrats and their media puppets have smeared the McCloskeys as “racists” for defending themselves — all while ignoring the facts surrounding the BLM invasion of the couple’s property.
BREAKING: Sources tell Five On Your Side police seized one of the weapons, the rifle, from the couple and they told police their attorney has the pistol seen in photos. https://t.co/MMUWIz7iJs
— KSDK News (@ksdknews) July 11, 2020
When the BLM mob trespassed last year, the McCloskeys said they had no choice but to resort to their Second Amendment right to self-defense because the police did not show up after they frantically called 911 asking for help.
The McCloskeys said they only retrieved their guns when they saw that several people in the BLM mob were themselves armed and began threatening the couple.
“This is all private property. There are no public sidewalks or public streets,” Mark McCloskey told KMOV-TV in June 2020.
“We were told that we would be killed, our home burned and our dog killed. We were all alone facing an angry mob.”
Given all the arson, looting and assaults that occurred during the Black Lives Matter riots last summer, it’s not surprising that the McCloskeys were on edge when a mob trespassed on their property.
“A mob of at least 100 smashed through the iron gates of Portland Place, destroying them, rushed towards my home where my family was having dinner outside and put us in fear for our lives,” Mark McCloskey told KMOV.
“One fellow standing right in front of me pulled out two pistol magazines, clicked them together and said, ‘You’re next.’ That was the first death threat we got that night,” he recounted.
The people who’ve been explicitly defending rioting, looting, vandalism and racially motivated assaults for weeks are now fainting over two people peacefully standing on their own property holding guns. Screw you guys. Seriously. Shut up. Nothing you say means anything.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) June 29, 2020
The Missouri governor’s pardon of the McCloskeys is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it won’t undo the public vilification and nightmarish bullying the couple has endured simply for doing something that millions of Americans would do themselves if they came under attack.
It’s frightening that we even have to think about how we’d react if something like this ever happened. But in today’s dystopian, lawless America, this is a daily reality.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
