End the Pepper Spray Ban at the University of Minnesota System

Students across Minnesota face rising threats to their personal safety, yet the University of Minnesota system continues to ban common non-lethal self-defense tools like pepper spray under the guise of safety. This policy leaves students vulnerable to assault, theft, and worse, especially in and around the campuses located in the state’s largest cities.

Minneapolis, home to the University’s flagship campus, saw over 5,500 reported violent crimes in 2023. Saint Paul, Duluth, and Rochester all experience similar trends, with students walking home at night or commuting through high-crime neighborhoods. According to local reports and public crime databases, students have been assaulted in parking garages, followed on their way to class, and harassed while trying to get to their dorms. These are not theoretical risks—they are real, recurring threats. Yet under current policy, any student caught carrying pepper spray on University property may be punished, despite its legality and effectiveness as a basic self-defense tool.

The University’s current weapons policy (Board of Regents Policy: Possession and Carrying of Weapons) defines a weapon broadly and offers no exemption for common chemical deterrents like pepper spray. While peace officers and military personnel are granted exceptions, no such protection is extended to the very students the University claims to protect. This approach is not only inconsistent with the right to self-defense—it is dangerous.

Allowing students to carry pepper spray is not controversial. It is common sense. Multiple universities across the country, including those in high-crime areas, have amended their policies to allow students to carry pepper spray and tasers for self-defense. In nearly all of these cases, the result has been a safer campus environment and more empowered student body. Students who know they can protect themselves are students who walk with confidence, not fear.

We, the undersigned, demand that the University of Minnesota Board of Regents amend its weapons policy to explicitly allow students to possess and carry non-lethal self-defense tools, specifically pepper spray, on all University property. We call on the current Head Regent to prioritize the safety and autonomy of Minnesota students by making this simple and necessary change.

The right to feel safe on campus is not a privilege reserved for administrators and law enforcement. It belongs to every student. It is time the University acted like it.