The St. Louis couple who came under fire earlier this summer for brandishing their weapons at protesters is slated to speak at the Republican National Convention (RNC).
Mark and Patricia McCloskey were the subject of media and popular scrutiny after waving firearms at protesters who were crossing private property. The McCloskeys alleged protesters began harassing and threatening the couple while on their way to the mayor’s house.
The couple was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a Class E felony which carries a prison sentence of up to four years, according to BBC. (RELATED: St. Louis Couple Facing Felony Weapons Charges)
Missouri State Attorney General Eric Schmitt dismissed the charges against the couple citing the Castle Doctrine, which he argued justifies deadly force for those defending their home from intruders.
Enough is enough.
St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner is targeted Missourians for exercising their #2A rights. As MIssouri’s chief law enforcement official I’m entering the case to defend Missourians’ right to protect their families & property. https://t.co/Pf2GrOZUG9
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) July 21, 2020
“The right to keep and bear arms is given the highest level of protection in our constitution and our laws, including the Castle Doctrine, which provides broad rights to Missourians who are protecting their property and lives from those who wish to do them harm,” Schmitt said in a statement reported by Fox News.
A lawyer for the couple, Albert Watkins, said Mark would “definitely be speaking” at the convention, but that Patricia was not expected to speak, according to The New York Times (NYT).
“She will be at her husband’s side. She is not built for this,” he said. Watkins said his clients will be part of a live video presentation at the convention.
“They, like many Americans, are horrified, if not mortified, at the prospect of their constitutional rights being compromised by the constitutional rights of others. My clients will fight to their death and they have professionally done so for 30 years each,” Watkins said, according to The NYT.
The couple’s plan to speak seems to have been first reported by The Washington Post.
St. Louis couple who waved guns at BLM protesters will participate in GOP convention https://t.co/Oygv6MXcad pic.twitter.com/6xdSHPKpzR
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 18, 2020
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that President Donald Trump “said it is absolutely absurd, what is happening to the McCloskeys,” according to CNN. The McCloskeys also appeared on a virtual Trump campaign event to share their story in June.
Other speakers set to take the virtual stage at the RNC include Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem; Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed in the Parkland shooting in 2018 and former Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann, who found himself caught up in national media controversy in January 2019 after being photographed face-to-face with Native American protester Nathan Phillips, per WLWT.