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One town in the US has law where residents are legally required to own guns and ammo

Home> News> US News

Published 19:24 13 Jan 2025 GMT

One town in the US has law where residents are legally required to own guns and ammo

The law has been met with a divided response

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

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Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image

Topics: Politics, US News

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a freelance journalist with words in Daily Express, Cosmopolitan UK, LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She is a former Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible.

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There's a town in the United States where 'every head of household' is 'required to maintain a firearm'.

Amid the arguments for and against being allowed to own a gun in the United States, there's a town in Georgia which actually enforces a majority of people to own a firearm.

Kennesaw's law requires heads of households to own a firearm (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)
Kennesaw's law requires heads of households to own a firearm (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)

The law was passed in a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, called Kennesaw.

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The law is listed under Kennesaw's Municode Codification Article II - Firearms, section 34-21, and it requires 'heads of households to maintain firearms'.

The law states: "In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further 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 the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition."

However, there are various groups who are 'exempt' from the law including 'those heads of households who suffer a physical or mental disability which would prohibit them from using such a firearm'.

It adds: "Further exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who are paupers or who conscientiously oppose maintaining firearms as a result of beliefs or religious doctrine, or persons convicted of a felony."

And the law clarifies 'no person shall fire a gun, pistol or other firearm in the city, except in the defense of person or property, and except peace officers or military forces of this state or the United States, in the discharge of official duties'.

But why was the law brought in?

The law has faced mixed reactions (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)
The law has faced mixed reactions (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)

Well, Kennesaw Police Department Lieutenant Craig Graydon told CNN the introduction of the law was reportedly 'meant to be kind of a crime deterrent'.

"It was also more or less a political statement because the city of Morton Grove, Illinois, passed a city ordinance banning handguns from their city limits," he added.

However, mayor Derek Easterling told the BBC: "It's not a symbolic law. I'm not into things just for show."

And the law has received a mixed reaction from the town's residents.

And also known as 'gun town' (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)
And also known as 'gun town' (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)

Mayor Easterling said: "The first thing that most people say when they meet us, you know as a community is ‘Oh, it’s not what I expected.

"I don’t know what they expect of people who arm themselves with guns at home, or what they’re looking for, but really we’re not that."

Citizen Wayne Arnold reflected many 'kind of get the image that it’s the Wild West where everybody walks around with a firearm strapped to their side'.

He said 'it's not like that,' arguing 'it’s strictly a home defense system type of deal' and 'there’s no shootouts down the street'.

Lt. Graydon said: "We get a lot of calls, conversation, and it seems to keep crime control, gun safety, things like that on the minds of many of the residents, because people are constantly talking about the gun law. So that’s been somewhat of a benefit to us."

However, mother-of-two Cris Welsh said she's 'embarrassed' when she hears 'people talk about the gun law' which she views as making 'people feel uncomfortable' and 'just an old Kennesaw thing to to hang onto'.

Kennesaw First Baptist Church groundskeeper Blake Weatherby argued: "It's the attitude behind the guns here in Kennesaw that keep the gun crimes down, not the guns."

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