A gunman who supports gay marriage and tried to massacre staff at a conservative pro-family group in Washington D.C. faces 45 years in prison.
Last August Floyd Corkins II walked into the headquarters of the Family Research Council and opened fire. He fired three shots before being overpowered by a security guard who had been injured by one of the bullets. That probably prevented a blood bath, say prosecutors who are calling for Corkins to be sent to prison for 45 years.
Corkins has pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including armed terrorism, and will be sentenced on April 29.
Corkins, who previously volunteered at a LGBT community centre, entered the Family Research Council building in August carrying a bag holding 100 rounds of ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches. He intended to smear the sandwiches in the faces of his victims. The owner of Chick-fil-A has made public statements in support of traditional marriage.
Corkins had a list of socially conservative organizations, believed to have been taken from a list published by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He told authorities that if he had not been caught at the Family Research Council he would have gone to other organizations and opened fire there too.
The police officers who responded to the shooting scene reported that Corkins had said he didn’t like the Family Research Council or what it stood for.
Government lawyers wrote: “Although the defendant largely failed to bring about the violence he sought, he was still able to accomplish one of his objectives—that is, to use acts of violence to terrorize and intimidate those within the District of Columbia and the United States who did not share his political beliefs and views”.
They also said that if it was not for the security guard’s actions, Corkins “would have almost certainly succeeded in committing a massacre of epic portions.”
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