'We will never use them': the California universities stockpiling AR-15s, grenades and submachine guns

[usonian]

HOLY WTF!!!

Let us know if there's a campaign to reverse this insanity.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/09/california-universities-military-equipment

or many public colleges and universities in California, keeping their campuses safe includes owning military-grade weaponry: AR-15s, stun grenades designed to cause temporary blindness and sonic weapons that resonate so loudly they are known in the armed forces as the voice of God.

According to California state law, campus police can only own military equipment if the college believes there is no other way to uphold civilian safety.

That law, which passed in 2021, also requires police to make all their equipment dealings exceedingly clear to the public. However, not every college follows every part of the law, according to an investigation by CalMatters into all 148 public campuses in the California Community Colleges, University of California and California State University systems.

(requirements for reporting and forums ... not well met)

Military equipment forums held at universities are often sparsely attended, according to several police departments. But some students are impassioned about the issue. At a rally outside a UC board of regents meeting in January, the University of California at Los Angeles’s chapter of the UC Divest Coalition, an anti-imperialism and anti-militarism student group, criticized the regents for spending tuition money on military equipment, while the board convened yards away in a school ballroom.

What is it about ballrooms?

Time to raise hell.
This is all very wrong.

The text of the article linked above largely follows the CalMatters report, but the report is full of specific data I almost said "loaded with"

Sometimes the summary article is found before the original source.

CalMatters investigation:
https://calmatters.org/education/2026/07/california-campus-police-military-weapons/

California colleges reveal their military weapons stockpile after CalMatters investigation

In summary
According to state law, campus police can own military weapons to uphold safety as long as they report it to the public. However, not every college follows every part of the law, according to an investigation by CalMatters into all 148 public colleges and universities in California.

Lots of data here.

Petition, anyone?

[Abnredleg]

1. You need long rifles to deal with mass shooting incidents

Major universities are the size of towns or small cities and usually have their own police departments that have to be prepared for all contingencies. “Military weapons” is a meaningless term designed to scare people - police departments have always been equipped with rifles for extreme situations.