St Louis attorney Mark McCloskey poses with new rifle after being forced to give up weapon he pulled on protesters
ST LOUIS attorney Mark McCloskey has shared photos showing off his new rifle after he was forced to give up the weapon he pulled on Black Lives Matter protesters.
McCloskey who to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault had to surrender his old weapon as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
But the gun-toting attorney flaunted on Twitter his new AR-15-style gun captioning the photos: "Checking out my new AR!"
In one picture he can be seen smiling in a gun store in front of a wall of semi-automatic rifles while in the second one he is pictured with his wife Patricia who posed giving a thumbs up.
The couple hit the headlines last summer when they were filmed outside their mansion in the West Central End.
Videos started circulating online showing the couple waving their weapons but no shots were fired and no one was hurt.
At the time Mark McCloskey had blamed the “leftist, Democrat government of the city of St. Louis" for the charges and claimed that they were “doing no more than exercising our Second Amendment rights.”
The McCloskey's claimed that protesters ignored a "No Trespassing" sign and broke down an iron gate but demonstration organizers said that they did not damage the gate.
The duo pleaded not guilty to of unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence, in October last year.
Earlier this week the pair .
Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000, while Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750.
The couple also agreed to give up the weapons they used during the confrontation.
Mark McCloskey, who announced in May that he was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri, was unapologetic after the hearing.
"I'd do it again," he said from the courthouse steps in downtown St. Louis, adding, "Any time the mob approaches me, I'll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that's what kept them from destroying my house and my family."
Following the plea hearing, McCloskey defended his actions in a series of tweets.
"A year ago, the mob came to my door to attack my family— I backed them down The mob came for me, the media attacked me & prosecutors tried to punish me for defending my family.
"They dropped all charges, except for a claim I instilled “imminent fear” in the mob I’d do it again," he tweeted.
He continued: "Let me be clear, I am not surrendering any of my other firearms!
"I will continue to be one of the strongest advocates for in MO and around the country.
Most read in News
"The two weapons that were seized from me were evidence in a criminal case. Per the state of MO they are to be incinerated," before adding "Don’t worry— I have more guns to protect my family where that came from!"
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The McCloskeys' defense lawyer, Joel Schwartz, said after the hearing the couple had hoped to raise money by donating Marks rifle to charity, but acknowledged that it was an unusual request.
Because the charges are misdemeanors, the McCloskeys, both lawyers in their 60s, do not face the possibility of losing their law licenses and can continue to own firearms.