51ºÚÁÏ

ST. LOUIS — A semiautomatic rifle that had been held by police for five years is back in the hands of the lawyer who waved it at protesters in 2020.

Mark McCloskey, wearing a bright blue suit and carrying a camouflage rifle bag, picked up the gun from 51ºÚÁÏ police on Friday, .

His wife, Patricia, who pleaded guilty alongside her husband in 2021 to brandishing the weapons at protesters, still hasn't gotten back her gun, McCloskey said.

"It only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back!" McCloskey . "We defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down."

Since their arrest, the McCloskeys have become something of a beacon for gun-rights advocates and conservatives online. Mark attempted to funnel that fervor into a bid to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate in 2022 but was defeated in the Republican primary.

In March, he was a part of a team of lawyers who announced plans to sue the federal government on behalf of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Online, he's become a prominent right-wing commentator, vowing to combat the "deep state" and amassing over 62,000 followers on X.

The McCloskeys were arrested in 2020 after they pointed their weapons at racial justice protesters who were marching near their Portland Place home. A year later, they pleaded guilty to the crime but were pardoned by former Gov. Mike Parson soon after.

Almost immediately after their pardon, Mark McCloskey kicked off a legal battle to retrieve the guns, suing for their return. 51ºÚÁÏ police to return his AR-15 on Thursday.

"I'd have liked to see this process go faster, but I don't think the process should have happened at all," he said in an interview on Monday. "But I guess now cooler heads prevailed."

An appeals court in 2023 ruled that the McCloskeys weren't entitled to the return of their guns, saying the couple's convictions had been overturned — not their guilt. 

But the McCloskeys argued that with their pardon — and the expungement of their records in 2024 — they should be able to retrieve the weapons.

"I thought since we were pardoned, it'd be obvious that we should've gotten our guns back," Mark said.

Patricia's Bryco pistol is still in the custody of the 51ºÚÁÏ sheriff's department, he said. He said he expects that gun to be returned by next week.