The couple's behaviour was – understandably – met with derision on the internet, many dubbing them both "Karens" – the term for white women perceived as being entitled.
But Mr McCloskey has spoken out in defence of the ordeal, telling local news station KMov St Louishe was "terrified that we'd be murdered within seconds".
"It was like the storming of the Bastille," the 63-year-old said. "The gate came down and a large crowd of angry, aggressive people poured through.
"I was terrified that we'd be murdered within seconds. Our house would be burned down, our pets would be killed."
Mr McCloskey said the couple called authorities, before grabbing their guns – he in a pink polo shirt and beige slacks and she in a striped top and capri pants – and heading to the front of their faux Renaissance-style home, which is tucked inside the private, gated community of Portland Place.
"A mob of at least 100 smashed through the historic wrought iron gates of Portland Place, destroying them, rushed towards my home where my family was having dinner outside and put us in fear of our lives," he said.
Video on social media, however, showed protesters opening and walking through the unbroken gate – so while evident the group were entering a private community, it's unclear when the gate was actually destroyed or who was responsible.
Mr McCloskey also alleged the pair received death threats from the crowd.
"One fellow standing right in front of me pulled out two pistol magazines, clicked them together and said 'you're next'. That was the first death threat we got that night," he said.
An additional statement from the couple's lawyer said they support the Black Lives Matter movement and that "peaceful protesters were not the subject of scorn or disdain by the McCloskeys. To the contrary, they were expecting and supportive of the message of the protesters".
"Their actions were borne solely of fear and apprehension, the genesis of which was not race related. In fact, the agitators responsible for the trepidation were white," the statement reads.
"The McCloskeys want to make sure no one thinks less of BLM, its message and the means it is employing to get its message out because of the actions of a few white individuals who tarnished a peaceful protest."
St Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner told KMov St Louis her office is investigating the incident, adding protesters shouldn't have been met with violence.
"I am alarmed at the events that occurred over the weekend, where peaceful protesters were met by guns and a violent assault. We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated," she wrote in a tweet.
