Kennesaw, Georgia (Screenshot)

A small town in Georgia that has required “every head of household” to “maintain a firearm” since 1982 has historically been free of violent crime.

The law isn’t enforced, but the town’s mayor says it’s still a crime deterrent, CNN.com reports:

“In Kennesaw, Georgia, local law says that ‘every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm.’ "‘If you're going to commit a crime in Kennesaw and you're the criminal -- are you going to take a chance that that homeowner is a law-abiding citizen?’ asked Kennesaw Mayor Derek Easterling."

There were only a few thousand people living in Kennesaw when the law was passed in 1982, but even with a population ten times that size, violent crime is rare: