The couple in St. Louis caught on video brandishing guns, including an AR-15, at passing protesters saw their legal troubles intensify on Saturday when police served them with a search warrant on their St. Louis home.
JUST IN: Sources tell @ksdknews that St. Louis Police executed a search warrant tonight at the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey.
Sources say they seized the rifle he held during a confrontation with protesters in June at their Central West End home.https://t.co/22SGpoc2UW
— Rob Edwards (@RobertDEdwards) July 11, 2020
The couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who have made a name for themselves on the conservative talk news circuit, stood in front of their home and threatened the lives of marchers headed to the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson in protest after the death of 46-year-old father of two George Floyd at the hands of police.
Local CBS News affiliate KMOV4 reports that:
‘A search warrant was executed Friday evening at the Central West End of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, their attorney told News 4.
‘The McCloskeys made national news when they pointed guns at protesters from the lawn of their home on Portland Place on June 28. Protesters were marching to Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house.’
Mark McCloskey Sets the Record Straight, Identifies as Republican, Calls Black Lives Matter “Terrorist Organization” https://t.co/gntUfvsrag
— Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) July 9, 2020
While the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, it is illegal to brandish those weapons at fellow citizens who do not pose a threat to the lives of the gun owner. Mark McCloskey has complained that he and his wife have been unfairly targeted after trying to defend themselves from a “terrorist organization” – a term he used to describe the Black Lives Matter movement – but the video does not show the couple being in any way terrorized. Their legal troubles may also have just begun in earnest.
‘News 4 previously talked with legal experts on whether the couple could face charges.
‘“My initial reaction is it looked pretty threatening, especially what the wife was doing,” explained SLU Law Professor John Ammann.”‘
Outside the #McCloskey house right now. pic.twitter.com/QwdxTgPosk
— Christine Tannous (@ctannous98) July 4, 2020
Following the efforts of the current U.S. president to convince white voters that their lives are in danger from black protesters, it’s surprising that the couple only threatened others with guns. Trump has his voters convinced that liberals, and especially black liberals, are coming to kill them all and take away “their way of life.” Those beliefs, when they lead to criminal actions, are on the people committing the crime. But in the end, Donald Trump is complicit in those crimes.
‘Ammann said a key is the manner in which the guns are handled.
‘“Those protections would not allow you to aim a gun unless there was some threat that someone was coming towards them or attempting to get inside their house,” he explained.’
"They took my AR," Mark McCloskey told a radio program. https://t.co/wdjewtqf6Y
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) July 11, 2020
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
