St. Louis couple touts new AR-15 after guns seized over BLM encounter

The guns that the couple used in the standoff were seized after their initial arrests last year

By Bradford Betz | Fox News


St. Louis attorney seeks to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Despite having their weapons seized and pleading guilty to charges in connection with pointing guns at Black Lives Matter rioters on their private property during the summer of 2020, Mark and Patricia McCloskey appeared defiant Saturday, posting a picture of a new AR-15 the St. Louis couple intends to buy.

"Checking out my new AR!" Mark McCloskey tweeted along with two pictures: one with McCloskey at a gun store with the owner, and another with him and his wife, Patricia. In both, he is holding an AR-15 rifle.

The picture came just two days after the McCloskeys pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to pay fines in connection with last summer’s incident involving Black Lives Matter rioters who tore down an iron gate and ignored a "No Trespassing" sign on their private street. The couple said they felt threatened and armed themselves before heading outside to warn off the crowd.

The guns that the couple used in the standoff were seized after their initial arrests in 2020 and will be destroyed. But the McCloskeys are not prohibited from purchasing new firearms.



Armed homeowners Mark T. and Patricia N. McCloskey stand in front their house along Portland Place as they confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house Sunday, June 28, 2020, in the Central West End of St. Louis. (Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

"We’re strong advocates of the Second Amendment and we’re going to continue to exercise our rights and protect ourselves," McCloskey told Fox News on Sunday. "We intend to keep our arms and bear them. We’re a constitutional carry state. I will replace those (guns) which the state took."

McCloskey said he has received "hundreds" of positive comments from the Twitter post. He expects his new rifle will be ready for him on Thursday.


Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/st-louis-...outs-new-ar-15