Corkins had a backpack, gun, ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches with him. FRC shooter sentenced to 25 years

The man who brought Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a gun to the Family Research Council with the hope of killing as many employees as possible in August 2012 was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty on charges that included a terrorism offense.

The sentencing comes on the first conviction under Washington, D.C.’s 2002 Anti-Terrorism Act, which addresses criminal actions with the intent to “intimidate or coerce a significant portion of the civilian population of the District of Columbia or the United States,” according to the Justice Department.


The gunman, Floyd Lee Corkins II, 29, shot a security guard FRC on Aug. 15, 2012, during a struggle when he was trying to enter the Christian conservative group’s headquarters with the intent to kill as many employees as possible, he told officers after the incident. He was targeting FRC because of its views, including its opposition to gay marriage.

Corkins was carrying 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches that he intended to smear on employees’ faces in a political statement, he told the FBI.

The guard was able to disarm Corkins and hold him until police took him into custody.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in February.

U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen heralded the sentence as sending a strong message on terrorism.

“A security guard’s heroism is the only thing that prevented Floyd Corkins II from carrying out a mass shooting intended to kill as many people as possible,” Machen said in a statement. “Our entire community is thankful to the hero who stood up to this heinous attack. Today’s 25-year prison sentence demonstrates the steep price to be paid for turning to violence to terrorize your political enemies.”

FRC President Tony Perkins said on Thursday afternoon that the sentence Corkins received “sends a message to those activists who would seek to silence those who believe in natural marriage through force, That it’s just not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Perkins told “The Mike Huckabee Show” he “felt sorry” for Corkins, calling him “really a pathetic individual in terms of what drove him to do this, he stated very clearly he was making a political statement against our organization because we believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman and because we supported the Chick-fil-A day.”

The FRC, he said, has been “forever changed” because of the incident.

“We see that every time we walk through the door now that we have armed security as a result of this attack,” Perkins told radio host and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Perkins also added that “we have been and will continue to pray for” Corkins.

“We’re fine, we’re going to go forward, and we pray that he finds the same peace that we have,” Perkins said.

Mackenzie Weinger contributed to this report.