European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sol  besides hews not actually a reside no of Oak Park bul of a neighbouring town Bennett who has since closed his Ming station became an instant hero 600 Miles away in Kennesaw a the mayor of Kennesaw.  Stephenson. Lew to Oak Park to give Bennett a key lol to City and pronounce him an american hero " at a National rally to oppose gun controls held in Kennesaw earlier this a cab. Stephenson who packs a 38 said we re Iho town lha stoves hat More guns does t have to mean More crime Kenny Sun is a town of 8.000 separated from Atlanta by 24 Miles of steadily creeping Urban sprawl when it passed its ordinance in 1962 it was half the size. Until in acquired ils gun Loling reputation which most of its citizens seem to enjoy. Ken Nesaw was known primarily As a civil War Bailie site where vigilant confederates stowed Sherman s March on Atlanta no one despises the Urban encroachment on Kennisaw More than Dent Wildman Myor who runs a you Vena shop calming civil War Memorabilia. Uyer says Ike would love id  up one morning and discover All o in. In malls and fast food Points and inc criminal element that  gone wild Ine wind you can pick up a bumper Slicker at his shop that says gun Sherman where Are you now that Allan la needs you to yer wears n matched pair of 45s on his hips hell. I  wearing those before the ordinance but Ihal s  he says. The Point is in i were a burglar i think i d pass Over a Homo where though people would defend themselves and go to Itic Home of Somo of these wimps his voice changes Iti a reigned whimper who font have no guns cause guns kill people Wethey re in filled to their beliefs and far be in from me to try to change them but Don t let them interfere Wilh mine. Let to do mine too " police Civet Wilson tends to agree if not so colourfully he Points out that probably 85 percent of Tho Homos in Kennesaw. Typical of Rural Georgia had guns in them before to ordinance taut that the ordinance serves As a sort of advertisement a sign on the door that says the premises Are protected my  he says who was chid when the ordinance was passed had a letter irom a prison Inorato win had got caught m a burglary to said he still though of himself As a professional burglar and that it he had no place bul Kennisaw to burglarized to would give up his profession " Wilson says lha Dospil Iho problems of growth More traffic and people passing through Kennesaw s rate of armed robberies and burglaries per 1,000 citizens has dropped srom 11 in 1981 to 2 g last Yeai. Of diff there is More involved to says we also have cur neighbourhood watch programs and other police services. Bul yes. I fed the Law in Itsell has definitely been a Dole  Between Iho polos of Morion Grove and Kennisaw the answers appear less certain. The Era argument that gun control Laws have no it decl on crime Rales Good in bad got Strong support in a study done in the Early 1960s Tor Iho us. Justice department by researchers at the University of Massachusetts James Wright who headed inc study concedes that he went into Iho Poi Cal As a gun advocate but came away unconvinced Whita to deplored a Lack of uniform crime data from around Tho country he concluded there appear to be no Strong causal connections Between private gun ownership and the crime rate there is no compelling evidence that private weaponry is an irn pot int cause of or Dot client to violent criminality says Wight ii our goal is to reduce the rate of violent crime guns Are probably not the place la attach the problem but As Pantaleo of Morton Grove Points out. Reducing crime was nol his Village s aim Noi is in Tho aim of such organizations As handgun co Liol inc. Sci s aim is f o reduce needless deaths m a nation prone to lethal gunplay. Sci. Against the opposition of the Era is pressing Lor passage of a Bill now before Congress that would require a one week Wail 01 a handgun License providing few a Cooling Olf period and a background Check by local authorities Era for its pail is campaigning in 11 Stales for Laws similar to thai in Florida which wiped out local ordinances and Pul Jun icons my in the hands of the Sale. Since passing their ordinances neither Morion Grove nor Kennesaw has recorded any handgun acc fonts or suicides Al teas none reported to their police departments Back in b1," says Pantaleo the year before our gun ban we had one suicide in Morion Grovo Wilh a handgun very spontaneous. If the Law had been in Elfeel then in there had nol Boon a gun Handy in might have Boon prevented but who knows the right of the people associated press embossed on the Lac a of lira a Viilo and Concrete Headquarters of Iho  association in Washington the it jul of the people to keep and Bear arms shall nol be infringed " As with much of me impassioned Rhelos in irom Bolh Sirles in the Long and bitter dispute Over gun Contra in arc inca those words Dan i loll Tho  5 07 the Complete leniency Consols ii 27  j Horn they Are. Itie second amendment Lolcus Constitution a Well regulated militia being necessary to Hie  it a Dee Sirato the Nghil of inc Scopio Loi exp and boar arms shall not be Ninny us " the meaning of Iho a words a Al the hear of the  a 5 argument thai any Lorrn of gun control to unconstitutional because in its View Tho people Means every India Klubal american. Gun control advocates argue just As a Lionel Ihal the amendment Reles Only to Tho stale  which they claim in this Day and 330 Means the Nasonal guard. The supreme court has never confronted thai argument directly. In the we second amendment cases that have Cost before it the Ouirt has corded us opinion to narrower issues. None Hucless in was on one of those cases. U 3 is Milter in 1939. Thai the u s. Coli i of appeals in Chicago died in upholding attic Marlon Grove handgun ban. The Miller com had challenged a Federal act outlawing  shotguns in the absence of any evidence tending to Chow thai the Possession or use of a saved off Shotgun Al this time has some relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a Well regulated militia inc 1q39 court used to cannot say that the second amendment guarantees he ought to keep and Caf such an Inglr Umflet "  the court ruled Only on a specific category of weapon at this  and in the absence of evidence to the in Elrar Illinois is one of 37 slalom with Simitar second Arnon Manl Guarani is in ils state Consu tul in. And to the Morlyn g 0 c ordinance was tested of the Elac and Federal judicial ladders in the circuit court of Cook county and the u s ois incl court   the ordinance violated neither the Illinois Constitution nor the u � cons Littlon when Iho quellion leached the pc Deal appellate com in 1933, Hal court Lound thai under the controlling authority of Milter a conclude that the tight to keep and Bear handguns is nol guaranteed by she second amendment the supreme court Tot that opinion stand and did not take up the Morton Grove Case. / to weft i d Pat overt Home no to i thought to put would defend  saturday january 23, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 17