‘Concerned citizens’ attend Second Amendment rights rally at Missouri Capitol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

People packed into the rotunda Wednesday for a Second Amendment rights rally at the Missouri Capitol.

The Concerned Citizens of Missouri for Second Amendment Rights rally for gun rights drew about 100 people to the event. Chairs set up for the audience to listen to speakers in the rotunda were nearly full Wednesday morning.

Multiple speakers were featured at the event including Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, current and former state legislators and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple accused of pointing guns at protesters outside their house during a rally last year.

Mark McCloskey said he and his wife came to the Capitol to support the Second Amendment, which he said stands between the people and tyranny.

"When James Madison wrote the Second Amendment, he understood that the thing that stood between tyranny and freedom was the population, that this is a limited government," McCloskey said.

McCloskey said the "shall" in the Second Amendment is a command word, and it is the only place in the U.S. Constitution where that command word is used.

"If people aren't willing to stand up for their rights, then they just become the slaves of the tyrants," McCloskey said. "The time has come for us to stand together and let the world know that we won't be bullied and we won't be shaped and that we are going to stand up for our rights."

McCloskey reflected back on the events that happened on the front lawn of their home last summer and said after those events took place, he and his wife made a decision to let the public know what is going on and how dangerous the world is right now.

"The world is at a tipping point right now, our civilization, the future of our way of life of what made America great is right in the balance right now and everybody needs to stand up and let their voices be heard," McCloskey said.

Another speaker Holly Hoechstenbach, who goes by "Definitely Holly," said she was here to represent millennials.

"I want to be a voice for the younger generation, we need more people in my age category standing up for the Second Amendment rights because those rights are slowly being eroded and we need those freedoms," she said.

McCloskey ended with a final message to the public, "When everybody says to you be safe, say 'No. Be strong, be free.'"

Check back for updates to this developing story and watch ABC 17 News at 5 and 6.