Nelson, a small Georgia city north of Atlanta, is requiring the head of virtually every household to own a firearm, the city's clerk told CNN Tuesday.

The community's five-member council voted unanimously to approve the measure Monday night.

The proposal was modeled on a similar law in nearby Kennesaw, a measure that has been on the books since 1982. Nelson, which numbers around 1,300 people, is the second city in the state to mandate gun ownership.

"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," the ordinance said.

People with physical or mental disabilities are exempt from the law, as are "paupers," felons, and those who oppose gun ownership based on belief or religious doctrine.

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Councilman Duane Cronic recently said that the law would give every family the right to protect themselves and their property "without worrying about prosecution for protecting themselves."