Laurie Skrivan / St. Louis Post-Dispatch / TNS / ABACAPRESS.COM
The white St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home last month were charged with felonies of illegal use of a weapon. The accusation was announced Monday by Circuit Prosecutor Kimberly Gardner weeks after a viral video showed Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both in their 60s, leaving their homes pointing weapons, including a semi-automatic rifle, at protesters on the street. close. At the time, several hundred protesters were on their way to the home of the city’s Democratic mayor to protest. As they passed, Mark McCloskey emerged wearing khaki pants and a pink polo shirt while swinging the semi-automatic rifle. Patricia McCloskey stared wide-eyed as she pointed a gun unevenly at the protesters. The couple’s savage behavior during the confrontation with peaceful protesters who were largely black was ridiculous on the verge of parody. It was also clearly dangerous and, according to the district attorney, it was illegal.
“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner against those who participate in non-violent protests, and while we are fortunate that this situation has not become a deadly force, this type of conduct is unacceptable in St. Louis,” said Gardner in a release. The couple, both personal injury attorneys, said they feared for their safety, as one does to lay the groundwork for trying to get away with violent conduct, particularly against people of color. The Class E felony charge carries a possible four-year prison sentence, although Gardner is pushing for a diversion program to be established that results in community service.
The charges have sparked the right-wing’s usual apoplectic response with firearms. Moments after the charges were filed, the state attorney general filed a brief request that the charges be dismissed. The basis for the layoff is the Missouri Castle Doctrine, which allows residents a wide legal margin to “protect” their home. It is a measure that has been pushed by the NRA at the state legislative level across the country and has had the effect of legalizing white violence under the auspices of an expansive definition of self-defense to include one’s property. At the right time, the Republican establishment, from President Donald Trump to Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Senator Josh Hawley, has called for a civil rights investigation. in the prosecutor for having the audacity to investigate and, ultimately, prosecute the matter.
An attorney for the couple said the McCloskeys “support every citizen’s First Amendment right to have their voice and opinion heard. However, this right must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law, which authorizes us to each of us to protect our home and our family from possible threats. ” Potential, not real threats. That distinction won’t really matter, as the state’s Republican governor has suggested he will forgive the couple, shorting out the legal system before it has even heated up.
