Photo Credit: St. Louis Dispatch
St. Louis, MO — We reported yesterday that Mark and Patricia McCloskey of St. Louis have been indicted by a grand jury on felony weapons charges as well as tampering with evidence.
After news of the indictment got out, Missouri’s Republican Governor Mike Parsons reiterated comments he made earlier this summer saying that he “most certainly would” pardon the McCloskeys if they’re convicted.
Watch the short clip here:
Governor Parson said at a press conference yesterday,“We’ll let it play out and see how this all comes out in the courts, but I stand by what I said,” he said.
From a gun owners perspective, this seems to be Mike Parson pandering to the crowd, since he hasn’t been a friend to gun owners in the past — despite being a Republican. We’ve reported on his willingness to expand statewide gun control in the past.
But after the McCloskeys catapulted to national fame and were invited to speak at the Republican National Convention, Parson would have been crazy not to stand with them while they enjoy immense support from conservatives.
No Pardon Necessary, Parson
Frankly, the odds that they get convicted should be non-existent, so the odds that they end up needing a pardon from Governor Parson are very small. In short, this was a nearly risk-free way for Parson to pretend to be a great stalwart of the Second Amendment while not actually accomplishing anything.
If he wanted to help them, he could be putting immense pressure on Kim Gardner’s office to drop all charges and being very vocal about her leftist gun control agenda.
He isn’t.
In fact, Parson only sided with the McCloskeys AFTER their rise to fame. Earlier in the McCloskey’s saga, Tucker Carlson of Fox News even called out the governor for this silence and inaction in regards to the couple.
“Their governor is a Republican, also a former sheriff. Mike Parson can fix the problem immediately,” Carlson added, and then advocated for the governor to dedicate state troopers to protect the couple and their home. “But he hasn’t done that. Parson hasn’t picked up the phone to speak to them. He doesn’t care obviously. Nobody cares. About an hour ago Mark McCloskey called us to tell us all this. He was panicked, understandable, his wife sobbed in the background as we spoke. American citizens trapped in their home by a violent mob. Knowing that something awful could happen to them very soon. Totally undefended. This is your country. The mob is winning. If things like this happen. Who is the mob exactly? They are not protesters. They are not civil rights activists.”
Opportunistic Help Is Still Help
Still, this news from Governor Parson must come as a relief to the McCloskeys, even if it’s just a cheap political move on the Governor’s part. But the average gun owner might not be lucky enough to draw as much media attention — and thus make it worthwhile for the Governor to help us out.
That’s why Stand Your Ground law and Constitutional Carry are for! Those laws are protection from prosecution for gun owners who have to use their guns in the face of these violent, destructive mobs.