Students at Grand Canyon University (GCU) face significant safety concerns due to the high crime rates in Phoenix, AZ, where the campus is located. Despite this, GCU’s current policy prohibits the possession of non-lethal self-defense weapons.
The policy’s vague language regarding weapons prohibits students from carrying essential tools for self-defense, leaving them vulnerable to crimes such as robbery, aggravated assault, and sexual assault, which are prevalent in the area. According to GCU’s Weapons-Free Campus Policy, possessing any weapon, as broadly defined, is prohibited. This includes non-lethal self-defense tools. Students found with weapons face expulsion, with no opportunity for appeal.
In 2024, Phoenix recorded 766 robberies, 2,149 aggravated assaults, 1,314 burglaries, 7,182 larceny thefts, and 1,804 motor vehicle thefts. These statistics highlight the urgent need for students to have access to non-lethal self-defense weapons.
We demand a revision of GCU’s Weapons-Free Campus Policy to explicitly allow non-lethal self-defense weapons for students aged 18 and older. This revision should clearly define acceptable self-defense tools and ensure that students have the right to protect themselves on campus using nonlethal self-defense weapons.
GCU can help create a safer environment for its students by revising the policy to allow non-lethal self-defense weapons. We the undersigned hereby petition President Brian Mueller to change the policy and allow students to defend themselves on campus.
Students at Grand Canyon University (GCU) face significant safety concerns due to the high crime rates in Phoenix, AZ, where the campus is located. Despite this, GCU's current policy prohibits the possession of non-lethal self-defense weapons. The policy's vague language regarding weapons prohibits students from carrying essential tools for self-defense, leaving them vulnerable to crimes such as robbery, aggravated assault, and sexual assault, which are prevalent in the area.
According to GCU's Weapons-Free Campus Policy, possessing any weapon, as broadly defined, is prohibited. This includes non-lethal self-defense tools. Students found with weapons face expulsion, with no opportunity for appeal. In 2024, Phoenix recorded 766 robberies, 2,149 aggravated assaults, 1,314 burglaries, 7,182 larceny thefts, and 1,804 motor vehicle thefts. These statistics highlight the urgent need for students to have access to non-lethal self-defense weapons.
We demand a revision of GCU's Weapons-Free Campus Policy to explicitly allow non-lethal self-defense weapons for students aged 18 and older. This revision should clearly define acceptable self-defense tools and ensure that students have the right to protect themselves on campus using nonlethal self-defense weapons. GCU can help create a safer environment for its students by revising the policy to allow non-lethal self-defense weapons.
We the undersigned hereby petition President Brian Mueller to change the policy and allow students to defend themselves on campus.