There's a city in the US where all residents are required to have a gun: what's it like to live there
Kennesaw, a city in Georgia, is a typical small town in the American South. It smells of baked goods from the nearby bakery, and the sound of trains can be heard in the distance. Newlyweds leave handwritten cards in cafes thanking them for the cozy atmosphere. But there is something about Kennesaw that sets it apart from other cities. This is a law passed in the city in the 1980s. According to it, residents are required to own guns and ammunition, writes Air Force
Photo: IStock
"If you think we're in the Wild West, with guns on our hips, we're not," said Derek Easterling, the city's three-term mayor who calls himself a "retired Navy man." "We're not going to come knocking on your door and say, 'Let me see your gun.'
Kennesaw's gun law states plainly: "For the purpose of protecting the safety and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of a household residing within the city limits shall be required to possess a firearm, together with ammunition."
On the subject: Federal court rules that criminals in the US should not be deprived of the right to guns
Residents with mental or physical disabilities, those convicted of serious crimes, or those whose religious beliefs prevent them from taking up arms are exempt from the law.
To the knowledge of Mayor Easterling and local officials, there have been no prosecutions or arrests for violation of Article II, Section 34-21, which went into effect in 1982.
And no one the BBC spoke to could say what the penalty would be for breaking the law.
However, the mayor said that the law is not symbolic, but quite real, and it was not adopted for show.
For some, the law is a source of pride. For others, it is an embarrassment, a reminder of a less-than-great chapter in the city's history. But most citizens are convinced that the law does keep Kennesaw safe.
Customers at a local pizzeria say: "If criminals break into the house, they won't know what awaits them."
According to the Kennesaw Police Department, there were no homicides in the city in 2023, but there were two suicides involving firearms.
Blake Weatherby, a caretaker at the First Baptist Church of Kennesaw, has his own take on why the city has so little crime: "It's the attitude toward guns here in Kennesaw that deters crime, not the guns themselves. It doesn't matter if it's a gun, a fork, a fist, or a pair of stilettos. We protect ourselves and our neighbors."
Pat Ferris, who joined the Kennesaw City Council in 1984, two years after the law was passed, said the law was created "more as a political statement."
After Morton Grove, Illinois, became the first city in the United States to ban gun ownership, Kennesaw, in turn, became the first city to make gun ownership mandatory. News of the law shook the country. In 1982, the New York Times wrote that the city was happy about the new law, but Yankee criminologists were not so thrilled. Penthouse magazine published an article with the headline: “Gun City USA: It’s Illegal Not to Have a Gun in This City.”
Similar gun laws have been passed in at least five cities, including Gun Barrel City in Texas and Virgin, Utah.
In the 40 years since the Kennesaw gun law was passed, the memory of it has largely faded, Ferris said.
"I have no idea how many people even know this regulation exists," he said.
The same year the gun law went into effect, Weatherby, a church worker, was born. He recalled that when he was a child, his father would joke, "I don't care whether you like guns or not. It's the law."
"I was taught that if you're a man, you should own a gun," Weatherby added.
He is now 42 years old and learned to shoot at the age of 12.
Weatherby once owned more than 20 guns, but now has nothing left. He sold his guns — including those he inherited when his father died in 2005 — to get through tough times.
"I needed the gas more than the gun," he said.
The only place he could sell guns was the Deercreek Gun Shop, located on Main Street in Kennesaw.
James Raban, 36, has worked at the gun shop since he graduated from high school.
It's a family business, started by his father and grandfather. Both are still in the shop today: his father in the back room restoring guns, his grandfather relaxing in a rocking chair in the salesroom.
For obvious reasons, Raban is a fan of the Kennesaw gun law.
“The cool thing about firearms,” he said with genuine enthusiasm, “is that people buy them for self-defense, but a lot of people like them as art or like Bitcoin, as something rare and valuable.”
Among the dozens of guns hanging on the walls for sale are antique black powder double-barreled shotguns and several vintage Winchesters from the 1800s.
Kennesaw has a lot of gun enthusiasts, and not all of them are gun store owners and middle-aged men.
You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York
Chris Welch is the mother of two teenage daughters. She hunts, belongs to a gun club, and shoots at a local shooting range with her two girls. She owns a Ruger, a Beretta, a Glock, and half a dozen shotguns."
Welsh isn't thrilled with Kennesaw's gun laws, however:
"I feel bad when I hear people talking about gun laws," Welsh said. "It's just an old Kennesaw tradition worth holding on to."
She'd like to see when outsiders think of the city, they think of parks, schools and community values, not gun laws "that make people feel uncomfortable."
"There's plenty to be proud of in Kennesaw without this," she said.
City Council member Madeline Orochena agreed that the law is "something people would rather not talk about."
"It's just a town quirk," she said. "People in town laugh at it."
Read also on ForumDaily:
Vending machines selling bullets and cartridges have been installed in American supermarkets
Weapons, minimum wage, sick leave: what laws will come into force in California in 2024
Subscribe to ForumDaily on Google NewsDo you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.
Editor's Choice
