Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he would pardon the St. Louis couple who sparked a national debate after they waved guns at protesters this summer, if they’re convicted.
Parson had previously said he would pardon Mark and Patricia McCloskey — who were indicted this week for unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence for the caught-on-camera confrontation where the couple pointed a rifle and handgun at protesters in front of their house in a private section of the city.
“We’ll let it play out and see how this all comes out in the courts, but I stand by what I said,” Parson said at a news conference Wednesday.
The couple were hit with felony gun charges for pointing the weapons at a group of anti-police brutality demonstrators who were marching through their neighborhood on the way to the St. Louis mayor’s house.
The McCloseys, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, have argued they were exercising their Second Amendment rights against an unruly mob who were trespassing in the gated community where they live.
The local prosecutor who charged the couple said they risked creating violence at an otherwise peaceful demonstration.
With Post Wires