Mark McCloskey won't get his guns or money back despite pardon, Missouri judge rules

A Missouri judge ruled on Wednesday that Mark McCloskey — the St. Louis lawyer who pointed a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters marching near his front lawn in 2020 — will not get his guns or his money back despite receiving a pardon last year.

McCloskey and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to misdemeanor charges for assault and harassment over the incident. The couple surrendered a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol as part of the plea agreement, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

However, after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) pardoned the McCloskeys in August 2021, Mark McCloskey filed a lawsuit seeking the return of the couple’s guns and a refund for fines they paid.

Circuit Judge Joan Moriarty rejected McCloskey’s request on Wednesday, noting that he and his wife are “required to follow through with their end of the bargain” despite the pardon, the Post-Dispatch reported.

“While the governor’s pardon does clear plaintiff’s record of the conviction, his guilt remains and the terms of an agreement that predicated said guilt also remains,” Morarity added.

McCloskey has vowed to appeal the decision, according to the Post-Dispatch.

The St. Louis lawyer, who launched a bid for Missouri's open Senate seat in May 2021, lost to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in August’s Republican primary after garnering just 3 percent of the vote.