TNA May 5, 1986:

But, in the following year, the pendulum began to swing back the other way. For it was in 1982 that the city council of Kennesaw, Georgia voted unanimously to require the head of every household to own a gun and ammunition. That year the incidence of burglary went down 73 percent in Kennesaw, and went up in Morton Grove.

TNA August 15, 1988:

Q. Have you done any studies showing the result stringent gun-control laws have had on crime?

A. There has been a case study of the city of Chicago. Some of the suburbs in Chicago that have banned the possession of handguns have shown dramatic increases in crime after those laws took effect, whereas a law in Kennesaw, Georgia, that required everybody to own a gun dropped the crime rate to virtually nothing. One of the most important studies was the Wright-Rossi Foundation study out of Massachusetts. It's interesting that both of these people, before they started their survey, were inclined towards banning firearms and heavy regulation of firearms for the public. When they got through with their study and looked at all the facts and figures, they totally reversed their opinion and came to the conclusion that firearms laws aimed at the law-abiding citizen do not work.
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And remember Don Bennett, the filling station operator in Oak Park, Illinois? Oak Park had approved an ordinance banning the private ownership of handguns, and Bennett was one of the first to be prosecuted under the law after he shot at some robbers who had held him up at gunpoint. Happily, a jury acquitted him on grounds of self-defense. Even before his trial, he was cited for bravery by the American Federation of Police, which gave him its Golden Eagle Award. The Mayor of Kennesaw, Georgia, (the city that gained notoriety when it adopted an ordinance in 1981 requiring a gun in every home) flew to Oak Park to give Mr. Bennett a key to the city and pronounce him "an American hero." Despite such deserved accolades, Mr. Bennett's legal ordeal stands as a classic example of how gun control laws unjustly affect ordinary citizens.

Kennesaw's unique gun ordinance was approved in the wake of the opposite action by the city council of Morton Grove, Illinois, which, on June 8, 1981, adopted the nation's first local ordinance banning both the sale and possession of handguns. With one city banning guns, and the other requiring them, the Morton Grove-Kennesaw confrontation has been watched closely by interested parties on both sides of the issue. Some media anxious to make Kennesaw's action appear imprudent have twisted the facts to make it seem that crime there has increased. On January 14, 1984, for instance, Salt Lake City's Deseret News labeled the residents of Kennesaw "losers," and claimed: "The first city in the nation to require residents to own and maintain firearms, achieved another distinction this week. It became the only city in Cobb County with an increase in crime last year. Explain that one, gun advocates."

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The explanation is easy. The Deseret News editorialists got things exactly backwards. Crime had not increased in Kennesaw. It had decreased dramatically. As reported in The Review of the News for February 22, 1984: "In the first year that the ordinance was in effect in Kennesaw, the number of violent crimes reported declined by 74 percent, according to Chief of Police Robert Ruble, and violent crime decreased by another 45 percent in the second year after residents were required to maintain a firearm." As one example, burglaries fell from 65 in 1981 to 19 in 1982 to 9 in 1983 to 1 during the first 4½ months of 1984. Current police chief Dwaine Wilson reports that the rate of armed robberies and burglaries combined has dropped from 11 (in 1981) to 2.6 (in 1987) per 1,000 citizens.

 TNA April 23, 1990:

Q. In Kennesaw, Georgia, where everyone is encouraged to have at least one firearm, crime is down. Are you familiar with that situation?

A. I have been there. I met with the Mayor and the Chief of Police. Crime has indeed dropped dramatically since the pro-gun policy was adopted. Kennesaw is a crossroads town. You get a lot of traffic and a lot of transients. You would think that they would have many burglaries. But would-be thugs know better than to try.

In 1981, Kennesaw, Georgia approved an ordinance requiring a gun in every home (later amended to exempt conscientious objectors). There are now some 3000 guns for the city's 10,000 residents. The law provides free training in the safe use of firearms. According to Mayor J. D. Stevenson, the overall crime rate has dropped by about 78 percent in the city since the law went into effect in 1982. The Mayor notes: "We didn't do anything any different. We didn't increase the police force or change anything. Our reporting methods are still the same. So that's the only thing that could have caused it." The TV program Crime Watch Tonight reported on February 6th: "The people who live in Kennesaw ... say it's the safest town in America."

Nevertheless, the gun control lobby wants the residents of Kennesaw, and every other U.S. city and town, disarmed. The strategy is to proceed one step at a time. As Stockton, California Mayor Barbara Fass phrased it during ABC's "Peter Jennings Reporting" program: "I think you have to do it a step at a time, and I think that is what the NRA is most concerned about .... But it does have to go one step at a time, and the beginning of the banning of semi-assault military weapons ... is the first step."

TNA May 21, 1991:

The ACLU is also contemptuous of the 2nd Amendment, and has called for the registration of firearms and the licensing of gun owners and dealers. When authorities in Morton Grove, Illinois passed a law banning all handguns in 1981, the ACLU refused to come to the defense of those who attempted to assert their rights to gun ownership. But when, in that same year, authorities in Kennesaw, Georgia passed a law requiring a firearm in every home (with exceptions for convicted felons, the physically disabled, and those with religious beliefs that conflicted with the law), the ACLU filed suit seeking to have the ordinance declared unconstitutional.
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TNA April 6, 1992:

Donald S. McAlvany, writing in the January 1992 issue of the McAlvany Intelligence Advisory, reminds us that "Kennesaw, Georgia passed an ordinance in 1982 requiting all residents to own a gun," and that during "the next eight years, home burglaries dropped 80%, there were no murders, and no accidental shootings."

TNA May 4, 1992:

March 25th marked the 10th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's much-publicized ordinance requiring residents of the city, other than criminals and those with religious objections, to own guns. During 1982, when the law went into effect, crimes against persons (including homicide, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and residential burglary) plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981, then dropped another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. Burglaries fell from 65 in 1981 to 9 in 1983. Last year, there were no murders in Kennesaw. Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, expressed the hope "that on this Kennesaw anniversary, our politicians will look to models that work," rather than the guncontrol dead-ends that disarm law-abiding citizens while criminals scoff.

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TNA September 21, 1992:

Foes of the Second Amendment argue that gun control is needed to fight crime. But the truth is that gun control fosters crime, while a well armed citizenry curbs it.

March 25, 1992 marked the 10th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's much-publicized ordinance requiring residents of the city (other than convicted criminals and those with religious objections) to own guns. The city has been nearly crime-free ever since. After the law went into effect in 1982, crimes against persons (including homicide and rape) plummeted 74 percent as compared to 1981. They fell another 45 percent in 1983 as compared to 1982. Burglaries have fallen by around 80 percent. In 1991 and 1992 combined, there were only three robberies and three rapes. And perhaps most impressive of all, there have been no murders since the pro-gun ordinance went into effect! Kennesaw's population in 1982 was around 2,500. Today, it is over 10,000. Yet, the crime rate continues to drop.

No one knows for sure how many Kennesaw residents actually have guns, as no door-to-door inspections are made, but a spokesperson for the police department told THE NEW AMERICAN that simply eroding criminal confidence, as the pro-gun law does, means that "people are going to think twice before they break in on you or try to hurt you."

TNA April 5, 1993:

On January 29th, Oregon State Representative Liz Van Leeuwen introduced legislation to require each home in the Beaver State to keep at least one firearm (and ammunition) on hand. Patterned after a landmark 1982 law in Kennesaw, Georgia, this legislation would also require gun-safety training and exempt those who oppose gun possession. Van Leeuwen told reporters, "Criminals have learned now that crime does pay. They're long gone when the police get there. They're not as likely to do it if there's a threat of deadly force."

The veteran legislator was astonished by the controversy her proposal generated. Talk shows around the country began calling. In her weekly newsletter, she told constituents that the national media "seem surprised that regular folks can come up with new ideas."

March 25th will mark the 11th anniversary of Kennesaw's pro-gun ordinance. The city has been virtually crime-free since. After the law went into effect in 1982, crimes against persons (including homicide and rape) plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981. They fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. There were only 40 burglaries (both business and residential) in 1992. For the ten-year period 1983-1992, armed robberies averaged a mere 1.6 annually, rapes 1.5, and murders 0.2. There have been no murders with guns.

Kennesaw has a population of around 13,000, compared to about 5,000 in 1980, yet the decline in crime continues, falling nearly four percent in 1991 compared to 1990, the last years for which complete figures are available.
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TNA October 4, 1993:

In contrast, the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Georgia passed a city ordinance in 1982 requiring heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes. Even though the penalty for violation is minimal ($50), and there has been no attempt to enforce the statute by inspecting homes, Dr. Kleck writes that "in the 7 months immediately following passage of the ordinance ... there were only five residential burglaries reported to police, compared to 45 in the same period the previous year, an 89% decrease."

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TNA April 4, 1994:

In sharp contrast, the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Georgia also passed a city gun ordinance in 1982 -- one that requires heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes. Though the penalty for violation is minimal, and there has been no attempt to enforce the statute, the improvement in the city's crime statistics is startling. During the law's first year, crimes against persons (including homicide, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and residential burglary) plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981, then dropped another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. Crime has remained remarkably low ever since, despite a population increase from around 5,000 in 1980 to more than 10,000 today. There were only 46 burglaries (both business and residential) during 1993. For the 11-year period 1983-93, armed robberies averaged a mere 1.6 annually, rapes 1.5, and murders 0.2. There have been no murders with firearms since the pro-gun ordinance went into effect. The city's only two homicides were committed with knives.

 TNA May 15, 1995:

March 25th marked the 13th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's widely publicized ordinance requiring heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes. On April 5th, during testimony before the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime, Kennesaw Police Chief Dwaine Wilson confirmed that "Kennesaw is an armed community, but a very peaceful community." Since 1982, "crime, particularly armed crime, in Kennesaw has dropped off dramatically."

The city's crime statistics are indeed impressive. Since the ordinance was enacted, there have been only two murders, both with knives. After the law went into effect in 1982, crime against persons plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981 and fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. And it has stayed low. In addition to nearly non-existent homicide, the annual numbers of armed robberies, residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, and rapes have averaged, respectively, 1.6, 29.9, 20.6, and 1.6 through March of this year.

Other law enforcement personnel joined Wilson in defending the right of responsible citizens to keep and bear arms in self-defense, including Bryant Jennings, president of the Memphis Police Association, who told the panel, "I sincerely believe armed and trained responsible citizens are an important asset to any community." Dennis Tueller, who heads the detective division of Salt Lake City's police department, said that the day's testimony "dispels the myth that law enforcement is strongly in support of gun control."

TNA June 10, 1996:

March 25th marked the 14th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's widely publicized ordinance requiring heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes. Since the ordinance was enacted, there have been only two murders (one each in 1984 and 1989), both with knives. The city's current population is around 17,000. After the law went into effect in 1982, crime against persons plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981 and fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982.

In addition to virtually non-existent homicide (an average of 0.15 non-gun related murders per year), the annual number of armed robberies, residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, and rapes have averaged, respectively, 1.6, 29.7, 20.8, and 1.6 through March of this year.

TNA June 9, 1997:

March 25th marked the 15th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's ordinance requiring heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes. Since the ordinance was enacted, there have been only two murders (one each in 1984 and 1989), both with knives.

After the law went into effect in 1982, crimes against persons plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981 and fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. And the crime rate has stayed impressively low. In addition to virtually non-existent homicide (murders have averaged a mere 0.14 per year), the annual number of armed robberies, residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, and rapes have averaged, respectively, 1.7, 30.2, 20.6, and 1.6 through March of this year.

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