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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
April, 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

When three men attempted to rob Cleon Sumner in his Vicco, Kentucky home, Sumner fought back by shooting at his attackers, killing one and wounding another as the third man fled. Sumner suffered only a minor head injury and the third suspect was later arrested. Sumner was not charged with any wrongdoing. (The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY, 12/17/95)

The justice system had failed to protect Wichita, Kansas, resident Carla Grayson from a violent ex-boyfriend. After three years of physical abuse, 19 arrest warrants (all of which went ignored by her tormentor as he repeatedly neglected to appear in court), and the filing of no-contact orders, Grayson put an end to the situation. When the abuser burst into her home, she shot him dead. No charges were filed. (The Eagle, Wichita, KS, 12/17/95)

A masked housebreaker almost pondered a bit too long as he stared down the barrel of Marsha Beatty's 9 mm. The criminal, one of a gang of four, burst into the bedroom of her Fort Wayne, Indiana, home, but Beatty grabbed his Tec-9 and stuck her own autoloader between his eyes, ordering him to drop the pistol. When he hesitated, the householder announced, "All right, I'm going to kill you." That halted his indecision and he ran, pursued by Beatty and her roommate, who had taken up her own 9 mm. "When they saw two women with guns, they ran," Beatty said later. (The News Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN, 12/6/95)

Enid, Oklahoma, resident Anthony Martin first heard his doorbell ring, then heard the sound of somebody kicking in his back door. Martin grabbed his shotgun and went to investigate, meeting two juveniles in his hallway. Martin held the housebreakers, one of them armed with a big knife, for police, but before they could arrive, one of them fled. The remaining suspect was taken into custody and his accomplice was arrested a short time later. (The News & Eagle, Enid, OK, 11/30/95)

"Even the Lord's house isn't holy anymore for these people. If they're crazy enough to do something like this to a holy place, there's no telling what they'd do," said Knoxville, Tennessee, pastor Ted Padgett after using a handgun to capture a man burglarizing the church office. Alerted by a church custodian, Rev. Padgett retrieved his .22 from the trunk of his car and entered the church where he came face to face with the stunned intruder, a parolee. He then stood the criminal against a wall and patted him down as the two waited for police. (The News-Sentinel, Knoxville, TN, 11/30/95)

When a young Prather, California, woman ran to a local church for protection after being threatened by a violent family member, the pastor unhesitatingly offered her sanctuary. When the woman's tormentor arrived with a firearm at the pastor's door, he exchanged words with the minister and shot him in the hand. Wounded, the pastor slammed the door shut. His assailant managed to kick it open, but not before the pastor was able to retrieve his own firearm. Forced to defend himself, the pastor fired a single point-blank shot, killing his attacker. (The Mountain Press, Prather, CA, 12/13/95)

A prison minister from Little Rock, Arkansas, Jack Seaver was used to dealing with tough men. So when one of three teenaged bandits turned angrily toward Seaver after robbing him in his home and approached with knife in hand, the minister understood he had to defend himself. Quickly, he grabbed his .22-caliber rifle and began firing, striking his aggressor. Police later arrested the wounded suspect and one of his accomplices. "I wasn't going to shoot anybody at all until I felt threatened," the minister said. (The Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, AR, 1/6/96)

Two would-be armed robbers found that a real .357 trumps a BB gun every time when they tried to hit a Fort Wayne, Indiana, grocery store. Assistant manager Shaun Imbody quickly identified the criminals' phony armament and ordered, "Put down your toy, the game is over." State police, staking the business out, immediately entered the store and arrested the pair. A police official noted that Imbody's knowledge of guns and quick action saved the police a nighttime chase of the two crooks. (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN, 1/1/96)

Pistol in hand, Vu Vinh Vuong dashed from the kitchen of his family's Savannah Georgia, restaurant at the sound of his mother's screams. Encountering an armed bandit clad in a red ski mask in the dining room, Vuong opened fire, hitting his assailant and sending him running. The injured suspect was arrested minutes later. Vuong's father, Do, had decided to purchase the pistol after a previous robbery left both father and son, then unarmed, seriously wounded by gunfire. (The News-Press, Savannah, GA, 1/22/96)

The teenaged bandits had just robbed Jacksonville, Florida, store clerk Joe Joseph at gunpoint and were attempting to make a getaway when they found their escape foiled by a locked door. Armed and cornered, the thugs turned back toward the clerk, who fired a single shot from the pistol he had retrieved from beneath the counter. The same bullet struck both crooks, killing one and wounding the other. (The Times-Union Jacksonville, FL, 12/20/95)

Charles Robinson and his wife, Jan had just closed their Sacramento, California, pizzeria when two thugs shoved revolvers in their backs and ordered them to the ground of the parking lot. With the day's receipts taken from him, Robinson heard gunfire erupt. Fearing that his wife had been shot, the businessman leapt to his feet and pulled a handgun from his waistband. Shots were exchanged and the crooks, one of them wounded, fled. Police soon stopped the suspects' speeding car, arresting one and taking the other to a hospital where he died. Robinson's wife was not hurt. (The Bee, Sacramento, CA, 1/31/96)

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