Victory Follows Expungement, Pardon, and Legal Perseverance.
Picking up the AR at the police property room@ pic.twitter.com/Jcp16tYhpA
— Mark McCloskey (@mccloskeyusa) August 1, 2025
ST. LOUIS, MO – August 3, 2025 – 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.
“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.
It only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back! We defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down
What’s missing-Patty and the Bryco (soon) pic.twitter.com/NOEyzyXZWM— Mark McCloskey (@mccloskeyusa) August 1, 2025
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.”
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PSA AR-15 Rifle Kit 5.56 16" 1:7 Mid-Lgth Nitride 13.5" LTWT M-Lok MOE w/ MBUS Sights | Palmetto State Armory | $ 859.99 $ 479.99 |
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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.
McCloskey’s Beat Rap, Claim Victory in Plea Deal with Anti-gun Prosecutor
I am honestly surprised the firearms were not “lost”.
Yeah that pistol ended up at the sheriffs so they could sell it. Theft by law. I’ve preached against it for decades to deaf ears by agencies that gain. St Louis PD and company was just a matter of pride being hurt and refusal so they could “show him who’s boss” fueled by racism. Watch where you live folks because this is how they treat people defending their neighborhood and own home. All those BS “sheriffs are different” better wake up. They’ll let a racial mob burn you out before allowing you to defend then steal your weapon. I’d bet… Read more »
“Blue lives matter”… The only ones confiscate guns. And refuse to return them.
Rabid prosecutors who don’t seek justice, but instead to persecute WE THE PEOPLE.
The only thing that surprises me, the the AR15 didn’t get “lost”. I wonder if the sheriff still has the wife’s pistol or if that got, “lost”?
Should never have taken this long. I wish they had displayed more smarts at the time. The way they defended their property wouldn’t have held anyone back, especially the way she was casually holding that pop gun within reach of protesters. However, amateurishness is not a reason for losing one’s rights; they didn’t do anything illegal and should never have been charged, let alone had their firearms confiscated.