Small Georgia Town Legally Requires Residents to Own Firearm
A small town in Gerogia has had a law on the books for over 40 years that requires all residents to own a firearm.
Kennesaw, Georgia, stands out among American towns for its unusual and long-standing law requiring residents to own firearms and ammunition. The ordinance, enacted in the 1980s, mandates that “In order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition.” Exceptions are made for residents with mental or physical disabilities, felony convictions, or religious objections to gun ownership.
Despite its bold language, enforcement of the law is virtually nonexistent.
“It’s not like you go around wearing it on your hip like the Wild Wild West,” explained Derek Easterling, the town’s mayor, in an interview with BBC News. “We’re not going to knock on your door and say, ‘Let me see your weapon.’” Easterling explained that there have been no arrests or prosecutions for residents who violate the law requiring residents to own firearms.
The ordinance, largely symbolic, has become a point of pride and amusement for many residents.
Pat Ferris, who joined the city council in 1984 shortly after the law’s passage, described it as “more of a political statement than anything.” He added that he wasn’t sure “how many people even know that the ordinance exists.”
Despite its symbolic nature, some residents credit the ordinance with fostering a sense of safety. The town reported no murders in 2023, and several citizens told the BBC that the knowledge of widespread gun ownership deters crime.
“If anything, criminals need to be concerned, because if they break into your home, and you’re there, they don’t know what you got,” residents explained to the BBC.
“It’s the attitude behind the guns here in Kennesaw that keep the gun crimes down, not the guns,” another resident said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a gun or a fork or a fist or a high heel shoe. We protect ourselves and our neighbors.”
City council member Madelyn Orochena said the law was “a weird little factoid about our community,” adding, “Residents will either roll their eyes in a bit of shame or laugh along about it.”
The ordinance reminds residents of their Second Amendment rights. It may also be a successful deterrent for would-be criminals, reminding them that any individual they seek to make a victim could be ready to exercise those rights.
