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Book Review:
“The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor — The Life and Times of Tony Mazzocchi” This is a fascinating book about a labor leader who has had tremendous influence on our lives, but whose name is not even known by millions of Americans. Please read my review.

From:
The American Rifleman
October, 1996

Studies indicate that firearms are used over two million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent threat to life limb or in some cases property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

Like a scene from a movie, the three masked robbers burst through the doors of a Potts Camp, Mississippi, bank, shooting and screaming orders while a fourth accomplice waited outside in a getaway car. Plans quickly unraveled for the violent quartet, however, after their ringleader strode into the bank manager's office and took a shot from the Colt .357 in manager Rodney Whaley's hand. Wounded, he scurried to the car where he and the driver fled, leaving their partners behind. The other two dashed into the woods on foot in an effort to escape. State and local police were quick to the scene and with the aid of local citizens armed with their own rifles, shotguns and scanners, secured every escape route in the county. All four suspects were arrested as a result. (The South Reporter, Holly Springs, MS, 5/16/96)

With her husband and son away at church, Brenda Hibbitts was alone in her London, Kentucky, home when three men broke in through her front door. At the commotion, Hibbitts grabbed a 9 mm and confronted the housebreakers, one of whom charged the woman with a hammer. Hibbitts fired, wounding the brute and forcing all of the intruders from the premises. Four suspects were arrested in the incident. (The Herald- Leader, Lexington, KY, 6/17/96)

A Kansas City, Missouri, homeowner was caught off guard when a man inquiring about a house for sale next door pulled a gun on him and forced his way inside. The intruder ordered the homeowner into a bedroom where the two began struggling over the gun. During the fight, the resident reached his own gun and fired a fatal shot at his attacker. His wife and children, who were home during the incident, were not injured. (The Star, Kansas City, MO, 6/13/96)

A Manchester, New Hampshire, landlord, tired of break-ins at an apartment building she owned, single-handedly confronted three trespassers who had illegally entered an empty apartment, chasing them away from the property at gunpoint. The woman didn't have to fire a shot, since the men took off at the sight of her firearm. One of the trespassers was arrested by police after leading the landlord and a tenant on a brief foot chase. (The Citizen, Laconia, NH, 5/25/96)

Despite the presence of her parents and a sheriff's deputy, a 15-year- old Cookeville, Tennessee, teenager was still forced to defend herself from an abusive ax-boyfriend. Confronted by the deputy and the girl's parents outside of the family's residence, the young man broke free from the deputy, jumped a fence, and kicked in the door of the house where the girl was hiding. There the ex-boyfriend came at the girl to attack her as she held the phone -- with a 911 operator on the line -- in one hand and a Ruger .44 Magnum in the other. A single fatal shot ended the attack. (The Herald-Citizen, Cookeville, TN, 6113196)

Pastor Frank McClung of First Southern Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, shudders at the thought of what might have happened had a shotgun-wielding bandit been allowed to make his way into the church during choir practice. Thanks to an armed citizen, he never got that far. Police said the suspect approached one of two parishioners waiting outside the church for their wives and demanded they come with him. The men refused, one going for his car, the other for the church. After the assailant fired into the one man's car, the parishioner retrieved his own gun and returned two fatal shots. "I'm very glad that the church member defended himself and his fellow church members, but I'm sorry that the man with the shotgun died," McClung said. (The Times Daily, Florence, AL, 7119196)

The masked thugs were spotted as Decatur, Alabama, resident Jason Rayford was leaving his home. As soon as he saw the two, Rayford ran back in his home and locked the front door, but the men kicked it in anyway, and started shooting. Rayford, who has a concealed-carry permit, drew his .38 and returned fire, wounding one of the suspects and forcing both of them to flee. The pair were later captured by police. (The Decatur Daily, Decatur, AL, 7/10/96)

University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) professor Hans van der Giessen was asleep in his home when the sound of somebody kicking in his front door awakened him. Grabbing his .25 cal. semi-auto handgun, van der Giessen went downstairs where he encountered a burglar. The criminal charged the political science professor, who emptied his seven-shot pistol at the intruder. Hit in the chest by half-a-dozen rounds, the crook staggered outside where he collapsed on the sidewalk and died. It was the second time in three days van der Giessen's home had been broken into, and the suspect was found to have a record of more than a dozen convictions in the last 18 years. Police were still investigating whether the two incidents were related. University associates of van der Giessen's expressed surprise that a fellow "liberal" professor would own a gun, but all supported his actions to defend himself. (The Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, CT, 7/10/96)

A career criminal may have been released from Florida prisons three different times for good behavior, but once on the outside, his actions were less than upstanding. It was probably just another day on the job for the "seasoned burglar" when he donned a mask and gloves before lifting the sliding glass door from: its tracks on Sammie Foust's Cape Coral, Florida, home. In his hand he carried a knife. Confronting Foust, the crook demanded money and jewelry before beating the 49-year-old woman in the face. During the struggle, Foust managed to get her hands on her .25 cal. pistol and unleash four shots, all of which found their mark. Police found the crook dead in Foust's bedroom. (The News Press, Fort Myers, FL, 5/11/96)

If you have had a firsthand “Armed Citizen” experience,
call NRA-ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-8683.

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Last Updated — June 20, 2008