Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) announced Tuesday that he pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple that gained national attention after pointing guns at protesters on June 28, 2020.
On July 19, 2020, Breitbart News reported Gov. Parson pledged to pardon the McCloskeys if they were prosecuted for their actions.
The Hill noted Parson saying he believed the McCloskeys “did what they legally should do.”
Parson added, “A mob does not have the right to charge your property. They had every right to protect themselves.”
On June 17, 2021, Breitbart News observed that Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and Patricia pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment. As part of their plea, they forfeited the guns they were holding when standing outside their home on June 28, 2020.
On August 3, 2021, the Associated Press reported that Gov. Parson announced his pardon of the McCloskeys,.
Missouri House Democrat Minority Leader Crystal Quade criticized Parson’s pardon, saying, “It is beyond disgusting that Mark and Patricia McCloskey admitted they broke the law and within weeks are rewarded with pardons, yet men like Kevin Strickland, who has spent more than 40 years in prison for crimes even prosecutors now say he didn’t commit, remain behind bars with no hope of clemency.”
Strickland was found guilty of a 1978 Kansas City triple homicide and is now requesting clemency.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.