Despite having their weapons seized and pleading guilty to charges in connection with pointing guns at Black Lives Matter rioters on their private property during the summer of 2020, Mark and Patricia McCloskey appeared defiant Saturday, posting a picture of a new AR-15 the St. Louis couple intends to buy.

"Checking out my new AR!" Mark McCloskey tweeted along with two pictures: one with McCloskey at a gun store with the owner, and another with him and his wife, Patricia. In both, he is holding an AR-15 rifle.

The picture came just two days after the McCloskeys pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to pay fines in connection with last summer’s incident involving Black Lives Matter rioters who tore down an iron gate and ignored a "No Trespassing" sign on their private street. The couple said they felt threatened and armed themselves before heading outside to warn off the crowd.

The guns that the couple used in the standoff were seized after their initial arrests in 2020 and will be destroyed. But the McCloskeys are not prohibited from purchasing new firearms.

"We’re strong advocates of the Second Amendment and we’re going to continue to exercise our rights and protect ourselves," McCloskey told Fox News on Sunday. "We intend to keep our arms and bear them. We’re a constitutional carry state. I will replace those (guns) which the state took."

McCloskey said he has received "hundreds" of positive comments from the Twitter post. He expects his new rifle will be ready for him on Thursday.

Today, both Kansas and out-of-state law-abiding gun owners will be able to take advantage of pro-gun legislation that was passed into law during the Legislative Session, House Bill 2058.

Proposed by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, House Bill 2058 does the following:

◈ Recognizes all out-of-state concealed carry permits, and allows those who have been licensed to carry a firearm for self-defense, to do so lawfully in Kansas.  This legislation recognizes that visitors to Kansas should not be left defenseless simply by crossing a state line. 
   
◈ Allows individuals who are 18 to 20 years of age to apply for a Kansas concealed carry permit.

◈ Authorizes the Attorney General to issue an alternative license to carry a concealed handgun, to qualified applicants, during a declared state of disaster emergency.

◈ Creates a Restoration of Rights process for individuals to reestablish the Second Amendment right to possess a firearm, upon expungement of certain convictions.

When I was growing up cartoons only came on TV on Saturday morning. There were no video games and fun was mostly found playing football, Cowboys & Indians or army. Everyone in my family was a hunter and guns were a part of our life and my childhood. I killed a lot of small game and a few deer before I ever kissed a girl. Times have indeed changed.

In most families both parents work. Many kids spend many hours a week at daycare. Evenings are cluttered with homework, television, sports and other extra curricular activities. Weekends are filled with soccer, football, baseball and similar pursuits. As parents make an effort to find a moment of sanity or catch up on chores, kids often end up watching episode after episode of Sponge Bob.

The vividly exciting and interactive video gaming opportunities, along with 327 channels, often make it difficult for parents to capture a kid’s imagination with a trip to the shooting range. In this electronic world, we can’t deprive the future generation’s exposure to these things and probably shouldn’t. But, there’s a way to get youngsters interested in the shooting sports. It just takes common sense and dedication.

Whether you are teaching your children, grandchildren or someone else’s children to shoot, having the right gun and the right attitude are what’s important........

.........If done intelligently, shooting and hunting are excellent activities to share with children. They will learn much more than just how to shoot or how to hunt. They will develop good self-esteem, coping skills, relationships, self-reliance and independence while experiencing healthy recreation and an overall philosophy of life and death. This will reduce their risk for delinquent behavior, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and even giving in to peer pressure.

When I was growing up cartoons only came on TV on Saturday morning. There were no video games and fun was mostly found playing football, Cowboys & Indians or army. Everyone in my family was a hunter and guns were a part of our life and my childhood. I killed a lot of small game and a few deer before I ever kissed a girl. Times have indeed changed.

In most families both parents work. Many kids spend many hours a week at daycare. Evenings are cluttered with homework, television, sports and other extra curricular activities. Weekends are filled with soccer, football, baseball and similar pursuits. As parents make an effort to find a moment of sanity or catch up on chores, kids often end up watching episode after episode of Sponge Bob.

The vividly exciting and interactive video gaming opportunities, along with 327 channels, often make it difficult for parents to capture a kid’s imagination with a trip to the shooting range. In this electronic world, we can’t deprive the future generation’s exposure to these things and probably shouldn’t. But, there’s a way to get youngsters interested in the shooting sports. It just takes common sense and dedication.

Whether you are teaching your children, grandchildren or someone else’s children to shoot, having the right gun and the right attitude are what’s important........

.........If done intelligently, shooting and hunting are excellent activities to share with children. They will learn much more than just how to shoot or how to hunt. They will develop good self-esteem, coping skills, relationships, self-reliance and independence while experiencing healthy recreation and an overall philosophy of life and death. This will reduce their risk for delinquent behavior, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and even giving in to peer pressure.

......few things in life are more satisfying than enjoying shooting together as a family, ...

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 8^th, 2021 at 7:35pm: