Judge says McCloskeys can’t have guns back

(AP) — A Missouri judge has ruled that a pardon from the governor doesn’t mean the St. Louis lawyer and his wife who gained national attention for waving guns at racial injustice protesters in 2020 should get back the weapons they surrendered and fines they paid after they plead guilty last year.

Mark McCloskey sued last year to have returned a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol that he and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, surrendered when they pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the confrontation with protesters.

McCloskey said he was entitled to the guns and remitted fines because Republican Gov. Mike Parson pardoned him and his wife weeks after their guilty pleas.