St. Louis man indicted for pointing gun at BLM protesters announces Senate bid

Mark McCloskey, a lawyer who is facing felony gun charges for aiming a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters from the lawn of his St. Louis mansion, announced on Tuesday night that he is running for Senate as a Republican in Missouri.

“An angry mob marched to destroy my home and kill my family, I took a stand to defend them,” McCloskey tweeted Tuesday night. “I am a proven fighter against the mob When the mob comes to destroy our home, our state, our nation— I’ll defend it I will NEVER BACK DOWN.”

The Black Lives Matter protesters McCloskey aimed his AR-15 rifle at were nonviolent and were marching to the home of the St. Louis mayor, who lives in the same gated community as the McCloskeys.

McCloskey and his wife were indicted in October 2020 on two felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Since the incident, the McCloskeys have gained notoriety within the Republican Party, even earning themselves a speaking role at the Republican National Convention.

The speech the couple gave was full of fear-mongering and hyperbole.

“What you saw happen to us could just as easily happen to any of you who are watching from quiet neighborhoods around our country,” the McCloskeys said in their address, referring to the nonviolent protesters demonstrating against systemic racism.

McCloskey is proud of his role in the incident, signing unsolicited photographs of himself aiming his rifle at the protesters.

McCloskey joins a crowded GOP primary field for the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt.

The field includes Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt, as well as former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in disgrace following a sexual misconduct scandal in 2018.

Republicans fear a Greitens nomination could cost them the seat, which the party needs if it wants to win back control of the Senate.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.