UNM weapon policy should be made clear

Is allowing college students and staff to carry stun guns on campus a good idea?

University of New Mexico officials are considering a no answer. On the drafting table is a policy that would prohibit them. But this week, neither the campus police department nor the university’s policy office could say exactly what the current policy is.

That, at least, should change.

A contingent of students think they should be able to carry stun guns for self-protection.

And here are some likely reasons why:

• Reports of aggravated assault and stalking have more than doubled on the campus from 2013 to 2014. Reported sexual assault and domestic violence also increased.

• Last Friday, UNM sent out a text alert that a woman had just reported that a man had recently grabbed her and touched her genital area.

• UNM police reported that last summer a man groped a UNM student and another man was accused of inappropriately touching a woman.

UNM police Lt. Tim Stump says campus police don’t believe actual incidents have increased as the numbers might imply, but reporting has increased thanks to efforts such as a new freshman orientation sexual assault awareness presentation and initiatives to encourage reporting.

That’s great. But it’s just not realistic to expect students to ignore the university’s numbers. Their question deals with having some means of non-lethal self-defense when campus police aren’t around.

UNM should come up with a clear policy — with the help of the UNM community at large — on what kinds of non-lethal weapons are allowed. The current policy is too vague, even for those in charge of such things.

Because feeling safe is important to learning.

— Albuquerque Journal