Tennessee law enhancing self-defense on campus goes into effect
The Laken Riley Act of 2024, effective July 1, allows students and others at state colleges and universities to carry certain non-lethal weapons for self defense.
The law is named in honor of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant earlier this year.
A law that allows students and others in Tennessee’s state colleges and universities to carry non-lethal weapons for self-defense recently went into effect.
The Laken Riley Act of 2024 was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on April 23 and officially went into effect on July 1.
Under the new legislation, “it is not a violation . . . for an adult person to carry or possess pepper spray, pepper gel, mace, a taser, a stun gun, or another similar device for purposes of self-defense when in any public or private school building or bus, on the campus, grounds, recreation area, athletic field, or any other property owned, operated, or while in use by any college or university board of trustees, regents, or directors for the administration of any public or private educational institution,” according to the summary on the Tennessee General Assembly’s website.
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The legislation also prohibits state colleges and universities from stopping individuals from carrying non-lethal means of self defense on school grounds.
The law was written in response to the murder of Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, which is part of the University of Georgia. The main suspect accused of murdering Riley is an illegal immigrant.
Riley’s murder added to the the broader debate in the U.S. regarding illegal immigration, amidst a historic border crisis that has occurred during President Joe Biden’s time in office.
Tennessee State Rep. Gino Bulso, who introduced the legislation in the House, told Campus Reform that “we enacted the Laken Riley Act of 2024 in Tennessee to ensure that students on college campuses could defend themselves with non-lethal weapons . . . in the event of an attack . . . Laken Riley was jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia in February of this year and was savagely attacked and killed by an assailant, who was not even in the country legally. For that reason, we named the bill in her honor. “
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Bulso hopes that other state legislatures would follow Tennessee’s lead, telling Campus Reform: “Other states should certainly enact laws to ensure that students on campus have means available to defend themselves in the event of an attack.”
Campus Reform has contacted Lee and State Sen. Joey Hensley, who introduced the legislation in the state Senate, for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
