By Lucas Bernard
Northwest of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta, there’s a little place called Kennesaw. It’s quiet there, with a population roughly 6% of its metro neighbor. In many ways, it’s like countless other overlooked towns across America’s heartland, featuring little white churches, cozy cafés, and parks where children play with their canine companions. A perfect picture of idyllic small-town USA. Residents of Kennesaw go about their daily lives comfortable and confident against any potential ne’er-do-wells that may threaten the lifestyle they work so hard to maintain. Is there a robust system of municipal law enforcement there to serve and protect? Not much more than any other such place, the Kennesaw Police Department patrols well enough. In Kennesaw, the trust and responsibility of maintaining public safety is a burden gladly shared by all of its citizens, enshrined in a unique city ordinance known as Section 34-21. In this seemingly innocuous municipal code lies a deep tradition of American civic culture.
Almost every mass shooting brings a horde of reporters from across the globe to interrogate local city officials about Section 34-21 in the attempt to turn the quaint town into a battlefield in the war against gun rights. The controversy lies in a single sentence: “In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further 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 the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore.” Yes, in Kennesaw, almost everyone is statutorily required to have a gun and its requisite ammo in their house. Exemptions are made for those with disabilities, paupers, felons, and conscientious objectors. Although an effectively unenforceable law, its existence shows Kennesaw’s dedication to the true purpose of the Second Amendment: to empower everyday Americans to maintain the security of their locality against any who wish to disturb their peace. Would-be criminals in Kennesaw know that every criminal act potentially carries a lethal consequence. The collective responsibility for civic security that Section 34-21 encapsulates was once the norm in American society, and our revolutionary forebears would be very confused as to why Kennesaw’s ordinance keeps popping up in the news for its novelty.
We all know that the Second Amendment exists to protect our right to “keep and bear arms.” Why? Because a “well-regulated Militia” is “necessary to the security of a free State.” But what does that mean? Luckily, the Second Congress elaborates a system in the Militia Act of 1792 that the Second Amendment assumes in its text. In 18th-century America, there were no organized police forces and barely a professional army. Whether it be for defense against internal or external dangers, the armed body of the populace shared the burden of security. The act federally codified what had already existed. All able-bodied male citizens were required to enroll in their local militia, showing up with “a good musket or firelock, a sufficient bayonet and belt” and a cartridge box containing “not less than twenty-four cartridges.” Like Section 34-21, a responsibility was placed upon the individual American to contribute to the common peace of all. While seemingly antiquated in the 21st century with our world-class military and modern police forces, Kennesaw’s law stands as a reminder of a more traditional American ethos. At the end of the day, nobody cares about you like your neighbor. Does being in a militia mean you have to go play soldier in the woods and get put on a watchlist? Anything but. You just have to be ready to help both yourself and your fellow community members. In my home state of Louisiana, we are no strangers to hard times. Hurricane or flood, legions of good ol’ boys strap on sidearms, fire up their boats, and go rescue their neighbors. Their firearms are to protect themselves and those in need, ensuring everyone comes back to a pot of jambalaya and a cold beer. Colloquially known as the “Cajun Navy,” these civic-minded and well-heeled heroes are the backbone of civil society. Just like the citizens of Kennesaw, the Cajun Navy knows that keeping a strap keeps people honest and criminals wary.
