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YAL Announces Pepper Spray Ban Victory at FSU

Young Americans for Liberty (YAL)—the nation’s most active youth liberty organization—has notched another Student Rights Campaign (SRC) victory, this time at Florida State University (FSU). Because of YAL’s advocacy for the right to self-defense, FSU recently included a specific carve-out in its weapons policy for pepper spray, allowing students to use it to defend themselves in times of danger.

The latest victory was possible because of YAL FSU Chapter President Serena Barker, who circulated an anti-pepper spray ban petition that ultimately garnered more than 500 signatures (see here). She also met with campus administrators regularly to keep the fight going. Now, due to the efforts of Barker and other YAL student activists, FSU’s pepper spray ban removal will directly benefit nearly 47,000 students on campus. This semester, YAL plans to take on more than 45 new campus fights across America—from implementing campus carry to ending vaccine mandates.

Below is a statement from Barker:

I’m really proud of my team for putting in the work so that our students can feel safer on campus. It was a lot of long days in the Florida heat, but we did it. Now, students at Florida State can exercise their right to self-defense and no longer need to fear for their safety on campus.”

And here is a statement from Daniel Gonzalez-Allende, student rights strategist at YAL:

“The safety of students shouldn’t be a subject that requires discussion and FSU students will continue to push to defend themselves on campus.”

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