Kennesaw, Georgia, has all the small-town fixings one might imagine in the South. There's the smell of baked biscuits wafting from Honeysuckle Biscuits & Bakery and the rumble of a nearby railroad train. It's the kind of place where newlyweds leave hand-written thank-you cards in coffee shops, praising the "cozy" atmosphere. However, there’s another aspect of Kennesaw that some might find surprising: A city law from 1982 legally requires residents to own guns and ammo. According to Mayor Derek Easterling, "It's not like you go around wearing it on your hip like the Wild Wild West." He went on to say that police aren’t going to knock on your door and ask to see your weapon. Kennesaw's gun law plainly states: "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 city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition.” Residents with mental or physical disabilities, felony convictions, or conflicting religious beliefs are exempt from the law. To Mayor Easterling's knowledge, there have been no prosecutions or arrests made for violating the gun law. In fact, no one seems to know what the penalty would be if someone was found guilty of violating it. Still, Mayor Easterling insists that the law is not just symbolic. For some, the law is a source of pride, a nod to the city’s embrace of gun culture. For others, it's a source of embarrassment and a page in a chapter of the city’s history they wish to move beyond. The main belief among townsfolk about the gun law is that it keeps Kennesaw safe. As one resident put it, "If anything, criminals need to be concerned, because if they break into your home, and you're there, they don't know what you got.”
