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In April 1982, Kennesaw (Kennesaw, Georgia)
government officials responded to the Morton Grove ban by passing an ordinance
"to provide for the civil defense of the City of Kennesaw, and further
in order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare
of the City and its inhabitants." The ordinance states that "Every head
of household residing in the City Limits of the City of Kennesaw is required
to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefor," except criminals,
persons with moral or religious objections, and those mentally or physically
incapacitated. (Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8: Civil Defense and Disaster
Relief, Section 8-10, enacted March 15, 1982.)
Gun ownership rates were not expected to
change after the ordinance; most households were presumed to have firearms.
Instead, it was expected that publicity surrounding the ordinance would
warn criminals that residents were capable of protecting themselves and
their community and would do so with the government`s blessing. Between
1981-1985 violent crimes in Kennesaw dropped 71%; burglaries dropped 65%.
Between 1981-1993, Kennesaw`s population doubled, but burglaries dropped
16%.
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID=17
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Press Release: 