Bill would lock in right of college students to carry chemical sprays

Published: April 3, 2026

By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — The House Education Committee advanced a bill described as a measured effort to secure student safety options on college campuses while avoiding more controversial proposals involving firearms.

House Bill 195, introduced by Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, would prohibit universities from banning chemical spray, such as pepper spray, allowing students to carry it as a form of self-defense.

LSU and other schools, like the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, already let students carry self-defense sprays on campus. Bayham described his bill as “a proactive measure” to ensure that colleges did not ban it.

Chemical spray would not be permitted under the bill, however, in areas where armed security was already present, including campus daycare spaces and medical centers.

Read more at Shreveport Times.