S AL T L A K E C I T Y, Utah, Nov. 5, 2000 -- A tiny southern Utah town has passed an

ordinance that requires every household to own a gun and ammunition

so residents can protect themselves against aggressors.

Jay Lee, the mayor of Virgin, a town just north of the Arizona border, told KSL-TV that most of the 350 residents already own firearms so there’s lots of support for the initiative.

The town council passed the ordinance after residents expressed fear that their Second Amendment right to bear arms was under fire.

The move has some Utah residents perplexed.

“The state legislature hasn’t addressed guns on any basis,” said Kim DeMille, of Utah’s Safe to Learn, Safe to Worship Coalition, which is fighting to keep guns out of schools and churches. “I don’t know why they would think their Second Amendment rights are being taken away.”

Virgin residents who don’t comply will not be punished, the mayor said. Also, exceptions will be made for the mentally ill, convicted felons, conscientious objectors and people who cannot afford to own a gun.

Town leaders say they got the idea from a city in Georgia that passed a similar law about 12 years ago.