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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
January/February, 1995

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 22030January/February, 1995

"You can't even feel safe in your own neighborhood," says Sondra Evelyn Kinnett of Annapolis, Maryland. Kinnett's home was broken into by a man who lives only a few blocks away. Fortunately, her son, Michael Strissel, was there when it happened. Awakened by the burglar's footsteps, Strissel grabbed his shotgun, confronted the criminal as he hid in a bedroom, and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. (The Capital, Annapolis, MD, 10/14/94)

JoEllen Hammersley almost became a cop 20 years ago, and maybe she missed her calling. Hammersley was pulling up to a bank in East Chicago, Indiana, when she heard screams and saw a man run off with a woman 's purse. Without hesitation, Hammersley retrieved her .32 from her purse and gave pursuit. With the help of a bystander, she caught the thief and held him at gunpoint for police. Hammersley received a Citizens Award from the mayor for her action. The local police chief remarked: "It's people like Mrs. Hammersley who make my job a lot easier." (The Times, Munster, IN, 9/29/94)

One moment it was a routine morning at Gregory Morris's Inglewood, California, furniture store. The next moment it was "like one of them shoot'em-up movies." Morris and an employee fired at least 20 shots defending their lives against an armed robber who threatened to kill them. He fired 13 times. "I'm on the phone with 911 and I'm screaming for help," says Morris. "There's bullets all over the place. It's like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop." The battle ended with the thug prone with a bullet through his cheek. Morris and his employee were unharmed. Police say the criminal had served less than three months of a two-year prison sentence for robbery. (The Daily Breeze, Los Angeles, CA, 8/27/94)

Jack Parker's parents have lived in the same Little Rock house for 30 years. But the neighborhood has deteriorated so much that Parker fears for their safety and often stays with them at night. When the family dog began barking at 1 a.m., Parker grabbed a pistol. Finding an intruder behind the house, Parker yelled at him and was answered by a gunshot. He shot back, hitting and killing him. Police say no charges will be filed against Parker. (Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Little Rock, AR, 9/22/94)

On his final run of the night, Rochester, New York, pizza deliveryman Michael Vaccaro was set upon by a group of five to seven men. One of them shoved a gun in Vaccaro's face, while another took him in a chokehold. Vaccaro was able to free himself from the stranglehold, pull his gun and shoot the man holding a gun on him. At the sound of shots, the gang fled, stealing Vaccaro's car. The wounded suspect was apprehended and faces multiple charges. (Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY, 10/9/94)

When Louis Simoni walked out of a Rialto, California, restaurant and into the parking lot, he had no idea there were two men inside his car. As Simoni approached, one of the thieves gunned the engine and tried to back over him. That's when Simoni pulled his handgun and shot the driver, killing him. Simoni was not charged in the shooting. (The Sun, San Bernardino, CA, 10/3/94)

After a man pounded on her door, cut the electric, telephone and alarm system lines to her house and launched several bricks through her windows, 61-year-old Annie Holt decided she'd had enough. With her .22 derringer in hand, the Nashville resident repeatedly warned her harasser to stop trying to force entry or be shot. He didn't stop, so Holt finally shot and killed him. Police did not expect charges to be filed against Holt. (The Tennessean, Nashville, TN, 10/10/94)

A wheelchair-bound 71-year-old Henrico County, Virginia, woman proved too tough for the likes of a local burglar. Lillian Allen, who keeps a .32 under her pillow, wheeled herself into the bedroom when she saw a criminal armed with a tire iron enter her home through a window. After she fired on the intruder, he fled out the front door. The doughty grandmother says crime won't run her out of her neighborhood. "As long as I have the gun, I feel secure with that," she said. (Times- Dispatch, Richmond, VA, 10/18/94)

Like a scene from the hit movie "Home Alone," a 12-year-old Archer, Florida, boy used his wits, and a gun, to protect himself and his family's proper- ty. While the boy was watching TV, a burglar entered the farm house through an open side door. Seeing the intruder, the youngster retrieved the family's 12-ga. shotgun and fired one shot, sending the perpetrator packing. A newspaper report said the youth is an experienced hunter and has taken a course in gun safety. (The Sun, Gainesville, FL, 10/10/94)

When Springfield, Oregon, resident John Shannon heard noises at four in the morning, he figured it was the family cat asking to go out. Shannon didn't find the cat, but he did find an intruder on his hands and knees next to his wife's side of the bed. Quickly, Shannon retrieved his .45 from his closet, trained it on the intruder and cut on the lights. After his wife called 911, NRA member Shannon detained the burglar until police could arrive. (The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR, 10/10/94)

Portland, Wisconsin, gun shop owner William Ripley was suspicious about the two youths in his store asking "silly questions ." When one announced a holdup and pulled a gun, Ripley drew his own .22 pistol and fired. "We both fired at the same time," says Ripley. "I dodged, and he missed by about 6". I have powder burns on my face." Ripley's shot went through the robber's cheek and lodged in his neck. Police nabbed the wounded robber and a second suspect and later found the stolen car they were driving. (The Herald, Sparta, WI, 9/19/94)

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