GA Town Requires Gun Ownership: 'Something for a
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'Something for a Potential Criminal to Think About'
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I was at Kinnesaw Mountian
some weeks back in the day North of Atlanta.
I was not redneck enough to blend in
Except for those southern girls. They liked my
Yankee you know what - accent .-)
Sherman staged his attack on Atlanta there, Civil War.
As the gun control debate rages on, one Georgia town has a local law mandating that “every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm.”
The law was enacted in Kennesaw, Georgia -- a town of about 33,000 people 25 miles northwest of Atlanta -- in 1982, and the community has historically had a low rate of violent crime.
The law is not actually enforced, but Kennesaw Mayor Derek Easterling says it’s still a crime deterrent.
On "Fox & Friends" on Saturday, Easterling noted that Kennesaw has had one murder in the last six years and a violent crime rate below two percent.
"It is something for a potential criminal to think about," Easterling said.
He said it's not clear what specific effect the gun law has had on the crime rate, because Kennesaw also has great law enforcement and strong community engagement.
"When citizens are engaged, when the community is engaged as a whole and people accept responsibility and are held accountable for their actions, I think that's what makes the biggest difference," Easterling said.
He said that's why he would like to see gun policies established at the local level, as opposed to the national.
"Give it back to the people. The local community needs to handle what they know how to handle."