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

A 2021 state law allows campus police to own military equipment for civilian safety - students fear it may be used to quash dissent

For 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.