Disturbing footage shows white couple pointing guns at peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in Missouri

Shocking footage reveals the moment a white couple pointed their guns at peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters walking past their house in the US.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey stood outside their mansion in St Louis, Missouri holding a pistol and an assault rifle as protesters walked by.

According to local media, the pair are both personal injury lawyers and run the McCloskey Law Centre from inside their Forest Park mansion.

It is unclear whether their guns were loaded.

The Black Lives Matter protesters were on their way to mayor Lyda Krewson's house to demand her resignation after she released the names and addresses of people calling for police reform.

The couple drew anger and ridicule online, particularly for their apparently erratic handling of their firearms.

The couple confronted around 300 protesters.

Some were wearing t-shirts with the slogan 'hands up, don't shoot'.

Unconfirmed reports suggest it is possible the protesters were trespassing on private property around the McCloskey's home. But this hardly explains why they felt it was necessary to stand outside their home holding semiautomatic weapons.

Given that the Black Lives Matter protests were sparked violence against a Black man by a white police officer, this is certainly a worrying display.