St. Louis Couple Who Pointed Guns at Black Lives Matter Protesters to Speak at RNC

By Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News

19 August 20

atricia and Mark McCloskey, the couple who pointed their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside of their St. Louis mansion in June, are set to speak at the Republican National Convention next week, their lawyer confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday. "Their remarks will be concise and clear," their lawyer said. "The decision relating to the day on which they appear is one left in the hands of those in charge of the RNC."

The couple received backlash in late June after a video showing them wielding guns at peaceful protesters went viral. The protesters were marching through St. Louis' well-to-do Central West End neighborhood toward the mayor's home to demand her resignation amid nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality. 

The McCloskeys were each charged with "unlawful use of a weapon," CBS affiliate KMOV-TV reported.

They have also gained many supporters, especially among gun rights activists and Republicans who have sought to portray the GOP as the party of "law and order."  

In July, the couple appeared at a virtual Trump campaign event, where they were interviewed by Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and former Fox News personality who now hosts a web series for the campaign.

Mark McCloskey told Guilfoyle he thought he was going to die during the incident. "I thought that within seconds we'd be overrun, they'd be in the house, they'd be setting fires, they'd be killing us," he said. The couple claimed that protesters broke a gate on their property but it's not clear when or how the gate was damaged.  

Guilfoyle also praised Patricia McCloskey for "standing by your husband, holding a gun." Patricia McCloskey later told Guilfoyle that "it's time that we not just stand behind men. We need to buck up and learn."

The RNC will kick off on Monday, August 24 and will go through August 27. The Republican Party has significantly scaled down its convention in Jacksonville, Florida, due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced in a letter sent to delegates in July. 

The virtual Democratic National Convention began Monday, August 17 and will run through August 20, with keynote speakers from 9-11 p.m. ET each night.