The St.
Louis couple who aimed weapons at protesters last month were each charged with one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon.
Lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey previously said that they only intend to defend their home situated on a private street in an upscale neighborhood.
According to reports, the crowd was merely marching towards the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson to protest racial injustice.
A number of videos and photographs showed Mark McCloskey wielding a rifle while Patricia McCloskey aimed a pistol at the marchers.
The viral images created a debate between those who believed the couple was legally defending their home and those who felt they were riling up peaceful protesters.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner filed the charges against the McCloskeys, but did not order the couple to be arrested.
Instead, Gardner issued summons and would consider them to undergo a diversion program, enabling the charge to be dismissed as long as the couple completes counseling or another remedial course.
“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest,” Gardner said in an interview.
“I believe this would serve as a fair resolution to this matter.”
“It’s a totally upside-down world,” Mark McCloskey said in an interview.
“The prosecutor apparently thinks her job isn’t to keep us safe from criminals, but to keep the criminals safe from us. … We’re not going to apologize for doing what’s right.”
He claims that the protests against racial injustice are “a concerted effort to destroy our way of life.”
“To change the fundamental social contract, do away with capitalist democracy and replace it with mob rule,” he added.
Joel J. Schwartz, attorney for the McCloskeys, called the charges, “disheartening, as I unequivocally believe no crime was committed.”
Schwartz said that his clients “support the First Amendment right of every citizen to have their voice and opinion heard.”
“This right, however, must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law, which entitle each of us to protect our home and family from potential threats.”