Bill to allow stun guns, pepper spray at Arizona colleges passes House

PHOENIX — A bill approved by Arizona legislators in the lower house would allow anyone to carry nonlethal weapons such as pepper spray and stun guns on to a college campus.

House Bill 2172 passed 35-22 along party lines Thursday night.

Under the plan sponsored by Rep. Travis Grantham (R-Gilbert), the state’s universities and two-year colleges would be compelled to let the self-defense products on to school property.

Grantham said he was prompted by policies at some universities that he believed banned the active ingredient in the most effective chemical sprays.

The Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the three state universities, recently revised policies to clarify that under codes of conduct, university students, faculty and staff and the general public could carry common repellents and alarms at schools.

Torches or devices with open flames have been banned.

“Safety for our students, faculty, staff and visitors to our university campuses is our No. 1 priority,” board President Eileen Klein said in a statement.

“These updates improve upon and bring clarity to the policies that govern the conduct of students, staff and the general public on university grounds.”

Grantham argued that people should have the right to choose any nonlethal device they want for self-defense.

The legislation moves to the Senate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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