Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis “gun couple,” appeared outside the Kenosha County courthouse to showcase their support for 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse as his trial comes to a close.
During an exclusive interview with RSBN on Tuesday as a group of visibly angry protestors crowded around the McCloskeys, Mark McCloskey calmly defended Rittenhouse: “He had to do self-defense, just as I did.”
“When the mob attacks and the government won’t protect you from the mob, people have to protect themselves, and that’s what this is about,” McCloskey told RSBN.
The McCloskeys, famously coined the “St. Louis gun couple,” made headlines in June 2020 when photos and videos went viral of them waving firearms as Black Lives Matter protestors marched through their neighborhood after breaking down the gate.
The pair claimed they felt threatened and decided to arm themselves, saying they were victims of “social intimidation” and “terrorism.”
“I was a person scared for my life who was protecting my wife, my home, my hearth, my livelihood. I was a victim of a mob that came through the gate. I didn’t care what color they were. I didn’t care what their motivation was. I was frightened, I was assaulted, and I was in imminent fear that they would run me over, kill me, burn my house,” McCloskey said in an interview after the incident.
After dealing with what they described as a “mob” outside their home during Black Lives Matter protests last year, the pair proudly stands in support of Rittenhouse, who is currently on trial accused of killing two people and injuring a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in August 2020 in Kenosha, Wis.
Mark McCloskey is currently running for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat.
