A Georgia town passed a law requiring the head of each household to own a gun as a way to keep crime down.

The ordinance, approved unanimously by the City Council in Nelson, said AP, does not have a penalty for violating it, but instead, serves as an expression of support for gun rights and sends a message to would-be criminals, AP said.

The Nelson ordinance exempts convicted felons, residents with physical and mental disabilities and those who do not believe in owning firearms, AP said.

Crime in Nelson, which has only one police officer, consists mainly of petty theft, AP said. Some 1,300 people live in the town, about 50 miles north of Atlanta.

Last month similar proposed gun ordinances were rejected in the small towns of Byron and Sabbatus in Maine.