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m Robot - Moving category Abortion-related violence in the United States to Anti-abortion violence in the United States per CFD at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2009 February 16.
 
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{{Short description|Anti-abortion murder in Florida}}
⚫
{{Infobox Criminal
{{infobox person
⚫
|image_name = Michael Griffin.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth date|1945|11|16}}
⚫
| subject_name = Michael F. Griffin
| birth_place = [[Tennessee]], U.S.
| image_size = 200 px
| name = David Gunn
| image_caption = Mug shot of Michael F. Griffin.
| image = DavidGunn(doctor)Image.jpg
⚫
| date_of_birth = {{birth date and age|1961|9|11}}
| birth_name = David Lomond Gunn
⚫
| place_of_birth = [[Florida]], [[United States|U.S.]]
⚫
| occupation = Physician
| date_of_death =
| alma_mater = [[Vanderbilt University]]<br>[[University of Kentucky]]
| place_of_death =
| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|3|10|1945|11|16}}
| alias =
| death_place = [[Pensacola, Florida]], U.S.
⚫
| conviction = First degree [[murder]]
| death_cause = [[Gunshot wounds]]
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| penalty = [[Life imprisonment|Life sentence]]
| status = [[Incarceration|Incarcerated]] in Okaloosa Correctional Institution.
⚫
| occupation =
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
}}
}}
On March 10, 1993, Dr. David Gunn was fatally shot by anti-abortion extremist Michael Frederick Griffin in [[Pensacola, Florida]]. It was the first documented killing of an [[obstetrics and gynaecology]] doctor where the stated intention of the perpetrator was to prevent a doctor from providing [[abortion]] care in an act of [[Anti-abortion violence#United States|anti-abortion violence in the United States]].<ref name="Kushner">{{Cite book |last=Kushner |first=Harvey |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780761924081/page/154 |title=Encyclopedia of Terrorism |publisher=[[SAGE Publications]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7619-2408-1 |location=[[University of Michigan]], [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780761924081/page/154 154] |quote=In 1993... Griffin became the first activist to murder an abortion provider, ushering in a new level of terrorism in the abortion wars. |author-link=Harvey Kushner |url-access=registration}}</ref>
'''Michael Frederick Griffin''' (born [[September 11]], [[1961]]), murdered Dr. [[David Gunn (doctor)|David Gunn]] in [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]], [[Florida]] on [[March 10]], [[1993]]. This was the first killing of an [[Obstetrics and gynaecology|OB-GYN]] for performing [[abortion]]s.


A jury deliberated three hours before finding Griffin guilty on March 4, 1994. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, which he is serving at [[Blackwater River Correctional Facility]] in [[Milton, Florida]].<ref>[http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=4&From=list&SessionID=310249 Florida DoC Details] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605063043/http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=4&From=list&SessionID=740459946# |date=2011-06-05 }}, dc.state.fl.us; accessed November 6, 2014.</ref> In November 2017, the Florida Commission on Offender Review set Griffin's tentative release date for March 4, 2043. Griffin can seek a review of his release date in 2024.<ref name=pnj>{{cite web|url=http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2017/10/31/parole-hearing-set-today-convicted-murderer-pensacola-abortion-doctor/819716001/|title=Michael Griffin, murderer of Pensacola abortion doctor David Gunn, is denied parole|publisher=Pensacola News Journal |date=November 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reedy |first=Joe |title=Man who killed Alabama abortion doctor told no parole until 2043 |url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2017/11/02/man-who-killed-alabama-abortion-doctor-told-no-parole-until-2043/824576001/ |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=The Montgomery Advertiser |language=en-US}}</ref>
The then 31-year-old Griffin waited outside Gunn's clinic and shot him three times in the back. He is reported to have yelled "Don't kill any more babies," just before the shooting.<ref name=Waspo19930311>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/gunn.htm
| title=Doctor Killed During Abortion Protest
| author=William Booth
| publisher=[[Washington Post]]
| date= [[March 11]], [[1993]]
| accessdate=2007-04-09
}}</ref>
Griffin did not attempt to hide his involvement in the [[murder]], telling police, "We need an ambulance."


==Persons involved==
A jury deliberated three hours before finding him guilty on [[March 4]], [[1994]]. He was sentenced to life in prison. He is currently serving in Okaloosa Correctional Institution in [[Crestview, Florida|Crestview]], Florida. [http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=5&From=list&SessionID=383226974] The murder was one of the justifications for the federal [[Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act]].{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
'''David Gunn''' (November 16, 1945 – March 10, 1993)<ref>Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998</ref> was an American [[physician]]. He received his [[bachelor's degree]] from [[Vanderbilt University]] and earned his [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]] at the [[University of Kentucky]]. Gunn moved to [[Brewton, Alabama]], after his residency, choosing to provide [[OB/GYN]] and abortion services in the rural United States.


⚫
{{Infobox criminal
==Trivia==
⚫
| name = Michael Frederick Griffin
Dr. [[David Gunn]]'s murder is the basis for [[Marilyn Manson]]'s song "[[Get Your Gunn]]." Singer [[Marilyn Manson]] referred to Dr. [[David Gunn]]'s murder as "the ultimate hypocrisy."
⚫
| image_name = Michael Griffin.jpg
| image_caption = Griffin's [[Florida Department of Corrections|FDOC]] photo
⚫
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|09|11}}
⚫
| conviction = [[First degree murder]]
⚫
| conviction_penalty = [[Life imprisonment]]
⚫
| birth_place = [[United States]]
| conviction_status = [[Incarcerated]] in the [[Blackwater River Correctional Facility]]
| motive = [[Anti-abortion violence|Anti-abortion extremism]]
}}


''' Michael Frederick Griffin''' was 31 years old at the time of the shooting. ''[[The New York Times]]'' described Griffin as "a fundamentalist Christian and a loner with a bad temper".<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/14/us/the-clinic-gunman-and-the-victim-abortion-fight-reflected-in-2-lives.html |title=The Clinic Gunman and the Victim: Abortion Fight Reflected in 2 Lives |author=Sara Rimer |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 14, 1993 |access-date=2017-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428002621/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/14/us/the-clinic-gunman-and-the-victim-abortion-fight-reflected-in-2-lives.html |archive-date=2017-04-28 |url-status=live }}</ref>
⚫
==References==
⚫
<references/>


==External links==
==Shooting==
On March 10, 1993, anti-abortion protesters had been demonstrating in front of Gunn's Pensacola Women's Medical Services clinic. Griffin waited outside, then ambushed Gunn by shooting him three times in the back with .38 pistol, shouting "Don't kill any more babies" before opening fire.<ref name=Waspo19930311>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/gunn.htm|title=Doctor Killed During Abortion Protest|author=William Booth|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|date=March 11, 1993|accessdate=2007-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720141851/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/gunn.htm|archive-date=2017-07-20|url-status=live}}</ref> Griffin did not deny his actions after shooting Gunn and told police "We need an ambulance."
*[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E2DC113AF936A35750C0A962958260 NY Times: Towering Over the Abortion Foe's Trial: His Leader]

*[http://www.armyofgod.com/POClist.html Prisoners of Christ]
==Aftermath==
*[http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/webzine/eyeonextremism/eoe-050315-gunn.xml Planned Parenthood]
Griffin claimed to be acting on behalf of God.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/05/us/towering-over-the-abortion-foe-s-trial-his-leader.html | work=The New York Times | title=Towering Over the Abortion Foe's Trial: His Leader | first=Larry | last=Rohter | date=March 5, 1994 | accessdate=May 1, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511145500/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/05/us/towering-over-the-abortion-foe-s-trial-his-leader.html | archive-date=2011-05-11 | url-status=live }}</ref> During his trial, Griffin's lead defense attorney, Robert Kerrigan, argued that anti-abortion activist [[John Burt (anti-abortion activist)|John Burt]] had [[brainwashing|brainwashed]] Griffin and drove him to commit murder.<ref name="Rohter"/> At the time, Burt was the Northwest Florida regional director of the national [[anti-abortion]] group Rescue America.<ref name="Rohter">{{Cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E2DC113AF936A35750C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=Towering Over the Abortion Foe's Trial: His Leader|author=Larry Rohter|date=March 5, 1994|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=2008-04-21}}</ref> Burt was also a former member of the [[Ku Klux Klan]]<ref name="Rohter"/> and self-professed "spiritual adviser" to a group of activists who bombed three abortion clinics in 1984.<ref name="Rohter"/> A jury deliberated three hours before finding Griffin guilty on March 4, 1994.
*[http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5545 Stand to Reason]

*[http://www.rickross.com/reference/a-abortion/a-abortion2.html Article from Newsweek in RickRoss.com]
The murder was one of the motivating factors in the passing in 1994 of the federal [[Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act]].<ref>"Griffin trial first test of access laws", ''Palm Beach Post'', October 3, 1994.</ref> From March 1993 through May 2009, Gunn was the first of a total of four doctors murdered by anti-abortion extremists. Others killed were doctors [[Barnett Slepian]], [[John Britton (doctor)|John Britton]] and [[George Tiller]]. Gunn's murder also prompted [[Paul Jennings Hill]] to issue the Defensive Action Statement,<ref>[http://www.armyofgod.com/defense.html First Defensive Action Statement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605153455/http://www.armyofgod.com/defense.html# |date=2009-06-05 }}, armyofgod.com; accessed November 6, 2014.</ref> signed by 30 anti-abortion leaders, which stated their belief that the killing of doctors who provide abortions was justified.<ref>{{cite web |author=Donald Spitz |url=http://www.armyofgod.com/defense.html |title=Defensive Action Statement |publisher=Pro-Life Virginia |access-date=2012-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605153455/http://www.armyofgod.com/defense.html |archive-date=2009-06-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hill went on to murder physician [[John Britton (doctor)|John Britton]] and Britton's bodyguard in 1994.
*[http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=199411 Article from National Post]

⚫
==Cultural references==
In 1994, Gunn's murder inspired the first official single "[[Get Your Gunn]]" by alternative metal band [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]]. The lead singer, [[Marilyn Manson]], explained in a 1999 ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' [[op-ed]] piece on the [[Columbine High School Massacre]], that to him, Gunn's murder by "pro-life" activists was the ultimate hypocrisy he had witnessed as a young adult.<ref name="RS Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?">{{Cite magazine |last=Manson |first=Marilyn |date=June 24, 1999 |title=Columbine: Whose Fault Is It? |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/columbine-whose-fault-is-it-232759/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406025916/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/columbine-whose-fault-is-it-232759/ |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |access-date=July 11, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Abortion in the United States]]
* [[Joe Scarborough#Legal career|Joe Scarborough]]

⚫
==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Michael F.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunn, David}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:1993 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People murdered in Florida]]
[[Category:Anti-abortion violence in the United States]]
[[Category:1993 in Florida]]
[[Category:American pro-life activists]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in Florida|Gunn, David]]
[[Category:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]]
[[Category:History of Pensacola, Florida]]
[[Category:Americans convicted of murder]]
[[Category:March 1993 crimes in the United States]]
[[Category:Christian terrorists]]
[[Category:Victims of anti-abortion violence in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Florida]]
[[Category:Christian terrorist incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Florida]]
[[Category:1990s crimes in Florida]]
[[Category:Perpetrators of religiously motivated violence in the United States]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Florida]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by Florida]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 1993]]

Latest revision as of 16:44, 5 December 2024

David Gunn
Born
David Lomond Gunn

(1945-11-16)November 16, 1945
Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMarch 10, 1993(1993-03-10) (aged 47)
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Alma materVanderbilt University
University of Kentucky
OccupationPhysician

On March 10, 1993, Dr. David Gunn was fatally shot by anti-abortion extremist Michael Frederick Griffin in Pensacola, Florida. It was the first documented killing of an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor where the stated intention of the perpetrator was to prevent a doctor from providing abortion care in an act of anti-abortion violence in the United States.[1]

A jury deliberated three hours before finding Griffin guilty on March 4, 1994. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, which he is serving at Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Milton, Florida.[2] In November 2017, the Florida Commission on Offender Review set Griffin's tentative release date for March 4, 2043. Griffin can seek a review of his release date in 2024.[3][4]

Persons involved

[edit]

David Gunn (November 16, 1945 – March 10, 1993)[5] was an American physician. He received his bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and earned his M.D. at the University of Kentucky. Gunn moved to Brewton, Alabama, after his residency, choosing to provide OB/GYN and abortion services in the rural United States.

Michael Frederick Griffin
Griffin's FDOC photo
Born (1961-09-11) September 11, 1961 (age 63)
United States
Criminal statusIncarcerated in the Blackwater River Correctional Facility
MotiveAnti-abortion extremism
Conviction(s)First degree murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment

Michael Frederick Griffin was 31 years old at the time of the shooting. The New York Times described Griffin as "a fundamentalist Christian and a loner with a bad temper".[6]

Shooting

[edit]

On March 10, 1993, anti-abortion protesters had been demonstrating in front of Gunn's Pensacola Women's Medical Services clinic. Griffin waited outside, then ambushed Gunn by shooting him three times in the back with .38 pistol, shouting "Don't kill any more babies" before opening fire.[7] Griffin did not deny his actions after shooting Gunn and told police "We need an ambulance."

Aftermath

[edit]

Griffin claimed to be acting on behalf of God.[8] During his trial, Griffin's lead defense attorney, Robert Kerrigan, argued that anti-abortion activist John Burt had brainwashed Griffin and drove him to commit murder.[9] At the time, Burt was the Northwest Florida regional director of the national anti-abortion group Rescue America.[9] Burt was also a former member of the Ku Klux Klan[9] and self-professed "spiritual adviser" to a group of activists who bombed three abortion clinics in 1984.[9] A jury deliberated three hours before finding Griffin guilty on March 4, 1994.

The murder was one of the motivating factors in the passing in 1994 of the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.[10] From March 1993 through May 2009, Gunn was the first of a total of four doctors murdered by anti-abortion extremists. Others killed were doctors Barnett Slepian, John Britton and George Tiller. Gunn's murder also prompted Paul Jennings Hill to issue the Defensive Action Statement,[11] signed by 30 anti-abortion leaders, which stated their belief that the killing of doctors who provide abortions was justified.[12] Hill went on to murder physician John Britton and Britton's bodyguard in 1994.

Cultural references

[edit]

In 1994, Gunn's murder inspired the first official single "Get Your Gunn" by alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. The lead singer, Marilyn Manson, explained in a 1999 Rolling Stone op-ed piece on the Columbine High School Massacre, that to him, Gunn's murder by "pro-life" activists was the ultimate hypocrisy he had witnessed as a young adult.[13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kushner, Harvey (2003). Encyclopedia of Terrorism. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan: SAGE Publications. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-7619-2408-1. In 1993... Griffin became the first activist to murder an abortion provider, ushering in a new level of terrorism in the abortion wars.
  2. ^ Florida DoC Details Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, dc.state.fl.us; accessed November 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Michael Griffin, murderer of Pensacola abortion doctor David Gunn, is denied parole". Pensacola News Journal. November 1, 2017.
  4. ^ Reedy, Joe. "Man who killed Alabama abortion doctor told no parole until 2043". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  5. ^ Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998
  6. ^ Sara Rimer (March 14, 1993). "The Clinic Gunman and the Victim: Abortion Fight Reflected in 2 Lives". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  7. ^ William Booth (March 11, 1993). "Doctor Killed During Abortion Protest". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  8. ^ Rohter, Larry (March 5, 1994). "Towering Over the Abortion Foe's Trial: His Leader". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d Larry Rohter (March 5, 1994). "Towering Over the Abortion Foe's Trial: His Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  10. ^ "Griffin trial first test of access laws", Palm Beach Post, October 3, 1994.
  11. ^ First Defensive Action Statement Archived 2009-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, armyofgod.com; accessed November 6, 2014.
  12. ^ Donald Spitz. "Defensive Action Statement". Pro-Life Virginia. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  13. ^ Manson, Marilyn (June 24, 1999). "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
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