Mark and Patricia McCloskey aren’t the people who we expected to step up as potential gun rights champions. They kind of had that thrust upon them when they did what many of us would have done. They stepped out in front of a mob to defend their homes.

Of course, those in the mob said they were peaceful–do they ever admit they’re not?–and because of that, the McCloskeys faced charges.

Last week, the Saint Louis couple accepted a plea deal where they agreed to allow the weapons they used to be confiscated. Since those weapons didn’t work when the McCloskeys had them, it probably seemed like a small thing.

Especially since they can go and buy new ones.

The St. Louis couple who brandished weapons while staring down Black Lives Matter demonstrators have gotten new weapons to replace their confiscated firearms.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who days ago pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for aiming guns at protesters in June 2020 at the height of the protests after George Floyd’s death, have gotten new AR-15-style guns to replace the firearms state authorities will destroy as part of their plea bargains.

“Checking out my new AR!” Mark McCloskey wrote in a tweet Saturday, along with the hashtags “#2A,” in reference to the Second Amendment, and “#MOSen,” acknowledging his Senate candidacy.

Checking out my new AR! #2A #MOSen pic.twitter.com/Qa5UKupXSX

— Mark McCloskey (@mccloskeyusa) June 19, 2021

On Thursday, Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree misdemeanor of assault and was ordered to pay a $750 fine, while Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor of harassment and was directed to pay $2,000. Neither will face jail time, though the couple’s firearms will be destroyed by state authorities.

And the best part is that these guns already work without Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner having someone repair them.

Now, to be honest, I wish the McCloskeys had opted to fight these charges. My guess is that they agreed to the plea deal so the case wouldn’t interfere with Mark’s senatorial campaign. Still, I wish they’d have fought these charges, mostly because they were utter BS from the start.

Still, what’s done is done.

With the plea deal resulting in misdemeanor charges, there’s nothing to stop the McCloskeys from arming themselves with new, effective firepower since it’s likely they may face criminal aggression again. There are a lot of people who wanted the couple thrown under the prison to rot for all eternity, mostly because they were white and weren’t bending the knee to the Black Lives Madness that motivated the mob in question.

They did what they had to do and protected their home.

Now, Mark McCloskey will try to parlay that into a senate seat, which he just might be able to pull off. If he does, Gardner needs to congratulate herself on his win, because it was her antics that led to his name recognition. Maybe the McCloskeys will send her a thank you card after the election?

If so, it would be a glorious bit of trolling, to say the least.

Now, here’s hoping the McCloskeys will get some quality training to go along with their new guns.