Town’s Emergency Plan Seeks Armed Homes
by Joseph P. Tartaro
Executive Editor
All Americans have the right to bear arms and some towns have even gone as far as requiring each household to have a gun, while still others have prohibited possession of certain types of guns.
Now, in an age when people are more concerned about natural disasters and man-made emergencies, a small Idaho town with a population of 860 has clearly linked firearms ownership to emergency planning—and it’s causing a lot of buzz on the Internet. It’s officially called the Civil Emergencies Ordinance. And although gun ownership is just one piece of this ordinance, it’s the part that’s getting the most attention, according to KTVB Fox 12 News in Boise. That’s because few municipal officials think about firearms when they consider emergency planning for their communities.
A Greenleaf city council member proposed the idea as part of the city’s new preparedness plan to handle civil emergencies. It would establish an overall emergency response plan and promote its citizen response teams and neighborhood watch volunteer groups, a proactive approach to keep the crime rate to a minimum and deal with emergencies. However, the proposed ordinance would also recommend citizens own a gun and ammunition, and get firearms training.
“We aren’t choosing to pick a fight. We’re choosing to organize and learn how to defend our own homes,” Greenleaf Mayor Brad Holton told KRTV.
Holton assumes nearly every person living in his town already owns a gun.
“That’s just the nature of our community,” said Holton.
So he says little would be changed by adopting this ordinance that “recommends every head of household maintain a firearm and ammunition.”
“It’s requesting. It’s not requiring,” said Holton.
Holton says this is part of a larger plan to establish an organized response to a town emergency and a way to ensure Greenleaf’s way of life is protected.
“The law enforcement agencies are not able to take care of each person and each private property, so it’s up to local cities and local governments to develop a plan of how you’re going to do that,” said Holton.
“If I was a burglar or if I was wanting to cause harm and I had all these cities to go to, why would I pick a city that is organized and trained? I wouldn’t. I’d pick a city who isn’t,” said Holton.
Drive about 10 minutes west of Caldwell, ID, and you’ll run into Greenleaf. If City Council Member Steve Jett has his way, each head of household that can legally own a gun, will.
“I think the City Council is hoping it will happen and that it will be a deterrent to crime as the city and region increases in population,” said Lee Belt, Greenleaf city clerk.
The proposed ordinance is modeled after a similar plan that went into place in 1982 in Kennesaw, GA, a suburban town of about 30,000 north of Atlanta. In that instance there was a dramatic decrease in criminal activity. Although crime isn’t a huge problem for residents of Greenleaf, the growth in neighboring counties leads them to believe they too are in for some changes.
Not everyone in town is in favor of the plan. Quakers founded this city a century ago.
“Historically, we’re one of the peace churches,” said Friends of Greenleaf Church Pastor Alan Weinacht.
Weinacht says this ordinance goes too far.
“I’m not going to support that. I think that is falling into that culture of fear, and I’m not going to support that. I’m not going to encourage it. I think that’s stepping over a line. It’s where we don’t need to go,” said Weinacht.
Weinacht isn’t opposed to owning a gun. He has a few himself but says the city has no business encouraging the use of firearms under any circumstance.
If the final language tracks the Kennesaw ordinance, which is to be voted on in November according to the current schedule, anyone who has a religious of philosophical objection would be exempt.
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