Written By : Anna Maria Hoffman
February 8, 2013

On Wednesday, Floyd Lee Corkins II, who was responsible for the  Family Research Council shooting on August 15, 2012, pleaded guilty to three charges, which included committing an act of terrorism.While interviewed by the FBI, Corkins admitted that he wanted to “kill as many as possible and smear the Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in victims’ faces, and kill the guard.”I was one of those people who could have been his victim. I was on the 6th floor of the FRC building working on my pro-life internship assignments. I could have lost my life. My dear friend Rosa and everyone else in the building, including my boss Jeanne Monahan, now president of March for Life, could have lost their lives.

That fateful day has only reminded me of how precious life truly is and how important it is to live every day as if it is your last. I thank God every day that our building manager, Leo Johnson, prevented Corkins from carrying out his intended act of violence. Leo’s courage and strength helped prevent what could have been a heartbreaking tragedy. Leo is a real hero that I will continue to thank for the rest of my life.

It saddens me and brings tears to my eyes that a person like Corkins would resort to violence out of political disagreement, especially on the topic of gay marriage. It breaks my heart that Southern Poverty Law Center facilitated his intent to commit such a horrific act of violence by labeling FRC as a “hate group.”

FRC is far from hateful. Its staff members are the most delightful, friendly, sweet, loving, caring, and Christ-like people you will ever meet. As a pro-life intern there this past summer, FRC became a home away from home for me. It is a safe haven in the middle of our nation’s morally corrupt capital. My fellow interns have become some of my best friends. And I was incredibly blessed to have Jeanne Monahan as my mentor, who truly helped me to grow as a pro-life advocate.

It is time to for the Southern Poverty Law Center to stop labeling FRC, and other organizations that just want to make society a better place, as “hate groups.” I only pray that people will learn from this shooting that  wrongful labels and violence are not ways to solve political disagreements. Let’s stop the hate to prevent acts of violence like this shooting from occurring again.

This article was originally published on Counter Cultured’s “Upholding Marriage” column.