A St. Louis couple who gained national attention for waving guns at mob outside their home in 2020 has had their misdemeanor convictions expunged by a judge — and are now seeking the return of their firearms that were seized by authorities.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey filed a request earlier this year to have the convictions wiped from their records related to the June 2020 incident. On Wednesday, Judge Joseph Whyte granted the expungements, according to reports.
The city prosecutors had opposed expunging the McCloskeys’ misdemeanor assault convictions stemming from when they confronted a mob protesters with their guns after the marchers began storming through their private community en route.
Immediately after the ruling, Mark McCloskey demanded that the city return a rifle and a semi-automatic pistol that were seized in 2021, stating he would file a lawsuit if the guns are not given back.
The McCloskeys, who are lawyers, have maintained they felt threatened by the huge crowd of protesters who were passing by on their private street at a time when riots had erupted across America, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
They claimed the group was trespassing, though the protesters said they were just traveling to the mayor’s home.
The incident drew widespread scrutiny, with video showing Mark McCloskey emerging with the rifle and his wife Patricia waving a handgun toward the crowd. Missouri’s Republican governor later pardoned the couple.
With their convictions now set aside through the expungement process, the McCloskeys are asserting their rights to reclaim the guns at the center of the case.
City officials have not publicly stated whether they intend to return the couple’s firearms or potentially challenge that through further legal actions in the wake of the expungement order.