Campus police recently released a new draft policy on weapons to students and faculty for review.
The policy was sent in an email last week and is open for questions and comments for 15 days.
The new policy is more thorough than the previous one, said Bradd Brown, chief of police.
The policy defines what is classified as a weapon, what exactly “possession” means, where weapons are not allowed, and the exceptions to weaponry on campus.
“Our purpose is to define what the university’s policy is and make it clear to everyone,” Brown said. “It’s also good to let everyone to have input and provide their feedback.”
The policy prohibits all firearms except in personal vehicles. Weapons in vehicles must remain in the car, “stored as required by law.”
One of the major changes in the policy is the allowance of pepper spray to be carried around campus, Brown said. He said questions about pepper spray are more frequently asked than any other kind of weapons, and now parents and students alike can feel comfortable having it for defensive purposes.
“We constantly review policies and try to make them better,” Brown said. “We want to make sure we’re always in conformance with state laws, and that’s part of the reason this policy was tweaked.”
He said clarifying what students can and can’t do, and allowing mace and pepper spray, will comfort parents and students.
Kyle Palmer, accounting junior, said that this makes sense.
“I think allowing students to carry pepper spray is a good thing,” he said. “I also think having a strict weapons policy fits the political culture of our school.”
Comments and questions are welcome through Oct. 12 and can be emailed to Brown at bradd.brown@okcu.edu.
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