hrgrisso
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Kennesaw Anniversary: Guns Prevent Crime
Kennesaw, Georgia is celebrating the 25th anniversary of a law often cited as
proof of the idea that gun ownership prevents crime.
On May 1, 1982, the Kennesaw city council made headlines around the world when
it ordered "every head of household to maintain a firearm together with
ammunition." (Exceptions were written so broadly as to allow anyone to opt out,
and there is no penalty for failure to comply.)
The law was in part a reaction to an anti-gun ordinance passed at the time in
Morton Grove, Illinois, which prohibited the ownership of handguns.
Some opponents predicted a bloodbath. Yet crime (which was already low) dropped
immediately in Kennesaw, while in Morton Grove it did not.
Further, the drop has continued, even though during the past 25 years Kennesaw
has grown from a sleepy small town of about 5,000 to a booming high-traffic
Atlanta suburb of 30,000-plus residents.
As the Kennesaw Historical Society notes: "Since passage of the law, the
burglary rate in Kennesaw has gone down significantly -- making it one of the
safest cities of its size in the United States -- while the rate in Morton
Grove has gone up."
Handguns are still banned in Morton Grove. Some people, it seems, learn faster
than others.
(Sources: USA Today:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/02/the_city_where_.html )
Kennesaw, Georgia is celebrating the 25th anniversary of a law often cited as
proof of the idea that gun ownership prevents crime.
On May 1, 1982, the Kennesaw city council made headlines around the world when
it ordered "every head of household to maintain a firearm together with
ammunition." (Exceptions were written so broadly as to allow anyone to opt out,
and there is no penalty for failure to comply.)
The law was in part a reaction to an anti-gun ordinance passed at the time in
Morton Grove, Illinois, which prohibited the ownership of handguns.
Some opponents predicted a bloodbath. Yet crime (which was already low) dropped
immediately in Kennesaw, while in Morton Grove it did not.
Further, the drop has continued, even though during the past 25 years Kennesaw
has grown from a sleepy small town of about 5,000 to a booming high-traffic
Atlanta suburb of 30,000-plus residents.
As the Kennesaw Historical Society notes: "Since passage of the law, the
burglary rate in Kennesaw has gone down significantly -- making it one of the
safest cities of its size in the United States -- while the rate in Morton
Grove has gone up."
Handguns are still banned in Morton Grove. Some people, it seems, learn faster
than others.
(Sources: USA Today:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/02/the_city_where_.html )
