Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who made national headlines in 2020 for defending their home with firearms during a Black Lives Matter protest, have officially regained possession of their AR-15 rifle after a grueling five-year legal fight.
By F Riehl, Editor in Chief for Ammoland
“It only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back!” Mark McCloskey wrote in a defiant post on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a photo of himself holding the rifle and a video showing him retrieving it from the St. Louis Police Department.
The couple’s case became a flashpoint in the national debate over the right to armed self-defense, prosecutorial overreach, and the political weaponization of the legal system.
After protesters entered the McCloskeys’ private neighborhood on June 28, 2020, by breaking a gate and ignoring “No Trespassing” signs, the couple armed themselves and stood outside their home to deter what they described as a threatening and unruly crowd.
“When you’re facing 350 to 500 people screaming death and arson—‘I’m going to rape and kill your wife, I’m going to burn down your house’—the fact that we were able to hold them off is proof of the value of the Second Amendment,” Mark McCloskey told Newsmax in a prior interview.
No shots were fired and no injuries occurred, but the McCloskeys were quickly targeted by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat backed by progressive donors. Gardner charged them with unlawful use of a weapon. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt attempted to intervene to dismiss the case, but the damage had been done.
Eventually, the couple accepted a plea deal to avoid further political and financial strain—pleading guilty to minor misdemeanors. Former Governor Mike Parson pardoned both McCloskeys in July 2021. Even after the pardons, their firearms were not returned, and officials insisted that the weapons be forfeited. That began another years-long legal battle to reclaim what they argued was unjustly taken property.
Their convictions were finally expunged in June 2024 by Judge Joseph P. Whyte, who noted that the purpose of expungement is to provide second chances. Under Missouri law, an expungement effectively makes it as if the incident never occurred.
That paved the way for the McCloskeys to demand the return of their seized firearms.
Still, authorities resisted. The AR-15 remained with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The Bryco .380 pistol, which Patricia McCloskey wielded during the confrontation, was held by the St. Louis Sheriff’s Department. Mark McCloskey confirmed that the pistol is expected to be returned within the coming week.
Mark told Fox News Digital, “That gun may have only been worth $1,500 or something, and it cost me a lot of time and a lot of effort to get it back, but you have to do that. You have to let them know that you will never back down, you’ll never give up.”
The AR-15, now returned, is likely to be seen as much more than a firearm—it’s become a symbol of resistance against what the couple and many of their supporters see as an anti-gun legal system intent on punishing law-abiding citizens who dare to stand their ground.
Critics of the prosecution have pointed to the overt political motivations behind the case. Special prosecutor Richard C. Callahan, a Democrat and former Obama appointee, openly admitted the primary goal of the plea deal was to forfeit and destroy the couple’s firearms. “I thought the most important aspect was to forfeit and destroy the guns,” Callahan stated in 2021.
Police investigators, however, reported evidence that some protesters were indeed armed. According to St. Louis PD Sgt. Curt Burgdorf’s summary, members of the group made threats and were seen with weapons and ballistic vests labeled “Human Shield.” Despite this, Callahan downplayed the threat, calling the crowd “peaceful” and “mixed.”
The return of the McCloskeys’ rifle comes amid broader concerns about the use of legal systems to suppress the right to self-defense. Dean Weingarten, writing for AmmoLand News, argued that the McCloskeys’ ordeal is “part of the pattern by the far left to use lawfare to attack anyone who dares oppose the supremacy of far-left street activists.”
The couple has remained politically active. Mark McCloskey launched a short-lived U.S. Senate bid in 2021 and continues to speak out against government overreach. Their experience has galvanized support from gun rights advocates across the country, who see their story as a warning of what happens when self-defense becomes politicized.
“We defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down,” Mark posted online. “Each and every one of us owns a personal responsibility for our freedom and our democratic republic.”
With their AR-15 now back in hand and their legal records cleared, the McCloskeys’ long fight appears to be nearing its end—but the political and legal lessons of their case are sure to echo for years to come.
Find the original article in its entirety on Ammoland.
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It is a damn shame what the McCloskys had to go through to retrieve their AR-15. Too many liberals don’t understand or care that all they were doing was protecting their property and themselves. Unfortunately, some people only understand force and one had better be able to protect themselves.