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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
May, 1992

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

John Parker was alone in his Racine, Wis., tavern one evening when a pair of youthful gang members armed with sawed-off shotguns burst through the door. Parker grabbed a .357 Mag. from under the counter and, as one of the thugs fired a blast at him, unleashed four shots. Parker received a slight hand wound, but killed both of his assailants. Police said both youths had long police records, and the district attorney ruled that Parker acted in self-defense. (The Journal Times, Racine, Wis., 01/15/92)

Fed up with repeated burglaries at the grocery store where he works as a clerk, Phil Holznagel of Spokane, Wash., decided to mount his own stake out. His plan paid off early one morning when two men broke into the store. Holznagel corralled one of the men in the store and held him at gun point for police. (Spokesman-Review and Chronicle, Spokane, Wash., 03/0l/92)

His shadow proved to be the undoing for a St. Paul, Minn., house breaker. Asleep on the sofa, Bob McQuiston awakened to what he thought was one of his children upstairs. "I usually spot their little shadows when I'm downstairs … but this shadow just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger," he said. McQuiston called police, grabbed his double-barrel shotgun and held the intruder for police. (The Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn., 03/01/92)

Robert Smith missed both, part of the Super bowl and being run down, but he did capture a man who attempted to burglarize his neighbor's truck. Smith grabbed his .38 and went to intervene when he noticed the man in the truck. When the criminal's accomplice tried to run him down, Smith fired two shots, causing the car to veer up over a curb and into a house. The driver fled, and Smith held the failed thief for police. (The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla., 01/28/92)

BBs are no match for bullets, a young hoodlum found out when he attempted to rob a Brooklyn grocery store with a BB gun. When the youth entered the store brandishing the gun, the owner fired several shots with his licensed 9 mm, killing the thug. The store owner was not charged. (The Daily News, New York, N.Y., 03/11/92)

Hearing noises outside her Mission, Tex., home, 65-year-old Celia Muñoz found a pair of house-breakers at work. They beat her, but she managed to break away and retrieved a .22 rifle. When one criminal lunged at her, she put them to flight with a single shot. Police later arrested two suspects, one with a hand wound. "I am never gonna be without a gun," she said. "If anybody is kicking my door down, you better watch out." (The Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Tex., 03/14/92)

A clerk working the graveyard shift alone at a Wilco, Va., service station unlocked the door to let in what appeared to be a customer. Once inside, however, the "customer" pulled a lug wrench from under his coat and demanded money. The clerk responded by pulling a .32 automatic, which convinced the would- be robber to flee. ( The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va., 01/20/92)

Charles O'Brien started spending nights in his Plano, Tex., store after a November burglary. Awakened one evening by the sounds of breaking glass next door, O'Brien picked up a pistol, investigated and found two juveniles holding bags. A 10-year-old ran off, but O'Brien held the 16-year-old for police, who found the boy was armed with a pistol taken in the earlier entry. (The Star Courier, Plano, Tex., 01/09/92)

A dentist by trade, Fred Sickles recently branched out by capturing two men who attempted to burglarize his home. Sickles was eating breakfast with his wife when the men started pounding on the doors. "We had a good idea why they were here, so we just sat quietly and waited, "Sickles said. Scared off by an alarm after they broke down the back door, the men found Sickles waiting for them at their car with a loaded shotgun. He fired a warning blast and held the pair for police. (The Times, Kenton, Ohio, 02/24/92)

Ernie Smith was watching television in his Eugene, Oreg., home when he heard loud noises coming from his store next door. Looking through a peephole, Smith saw a man drop through a hole in the ceiling. Smith grabbed his shotgun, ran into the store and held the burglar for police. "Hey, I got to defend my wife and the house," Smith said. "And a loaded 12-ga. talks." (The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oreg., 01/14/92)

An early-morning burglary attempt proved to be fatal when, instead of loot, the culprit found an armed homeowner. Mary Berry was awake because of an earlier burglary at her Louisville, Ky., home, and when she heard sounds of another forced entry, she called police. She was still on the phone when the man entered the kitchen, and Berry mortally wounded him with a single blast from her shotgun. (The Courier Journal, Louisville, Ky., 03/07/92)

Hugh Davitt of Scranton, Pa., stopped his car to talk to a group of teenagers after they snow balled his car. Instead of talking, the youths began to beat Davitt. After one of them sprayed him with Mace, David pulled his registered pistol and fired a single shot, wounding one of his assailants and stopping the attack. Authorities later said Davitt acted in self-defense and would not be charged. (The Tribute, Scranton, Pa., 03/10/92)

Wearing a mask and armed with a sawed-off shotgun, a man bent on robbery entered Reid's Mart in Hubert, N.C., just as owner Steve Reid was closing for the night. Reid at first thought it was a joke, but when it became evident that the gunman meant business, Reid pulled his 9 mm from his back pocket and fired a single shot, striking the crook in the chest, killing him. (The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C., 03/25/92)

Odell Smith, Jr., a Birmingham, Ala., cabbie, picked up two men who turned out to be armed robbers. When the man in the back seat held a gun to his head and demanded money, Smith grabbed his .38, spun in the driver's seat and fired three shots, killing the gunman and then wounding his accomplice. (The News, Birmingham, Ala., 04/10/92)

Napping in her rural Mission, Tex., home with her two children, Vanessa Cooper heard a car pull up, and, looking out the window, saw an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Fearing for the safety of her children, Cooper picked up a pistol and went to investigate. She found a man in the living room, and when he ignored her questions on why he was there and lunged at her, Cooper fired, killing the intruder. (The Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Tex., 03/13/92)

When his stepfather began beating a 16-year-old Kalispell, Mont., youth's mother, the boy ordered him to stop. When the man — who had a history of alcohol-induced violence against the family — continued his attack, the teen got a rifle and shot and killed the man. "The boy clearly was justifiably concerned about the welfare of his mother and younger brother and sister when he shot," said the county attorney. (The Daily InterLake, Kalispell, Mont., 02/21/92)

Six burglaries in one week were enough for Todd Bridges, the manager of several Wichita, Kans., muffler shops. Armed with his AR-15, his late-night stakeout was rewarded when a man forced his way into the shop Bridges was guarding. Bridges ordered the man to halt, but when the burglar began running toward the back of the shop, fired three shots, hitting him once, "I didn't want him to get back there and start taking shots at me," said Bridges. (The Eagle, Wichita, Kans., 03/27/92)

David Shanley was content to let the two men who had taken money from the register of his liquor store flee until one pulled a gun and threatened to kill him. When that happened, Shanley, a former New York City police officer, drew his own gun and opened fire, wounding both robbers. Both fled but were apprehended by police while seeking medical treatment for their wounds. (The Newsday, Long Island, N.Y., 04/10/92)

Ron Simpson carries a gun on the job as a midnight-shift service station attendant in Aurora, Ill. He needed it recently- for a third time in 18 months-when a man walked in, pretended to have a gun and demanded money from the register. When the robber dropped his guard, Simpson pulled his 9 mm pistol and held him for police. "The gun's not there to protect the store; it's purely to protect me," Simpson said. (The Beacon, Aurora, Ill., 04/23/92)

Covering the rioting in Atlanta, Ga., that followed the Rodney King jury verdict in Los Angeles, a TV-news team found themselves the targets of the mob. They were rescued when Garnett Sumpter, the husband of one of their coworkers, happened onto the scene. Drawing his licensed pistol, Sumpter convinced the mob to go elsewhere. (The Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., 05/5/92)

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