Firearms and Weapons

LMU is committed to providing a safe, healthy learning and working environment, and to making adequate provisions for the safety and health of its students, staff, faculty and the public, and will not permit its students or employees, as well as visitors, to act in ways that may endanger themselves or others.

All visitors, students and employees (LMU or DSOL security personnel may be permitted to carry a weapon if authorized by the President of the University) are prohibited from possessing, carrying, trading or showing weapons of any kind, including firearms, fireworks, guns, explosives, bows and arrows, knives, etc. while on LMU premises, while on duty, while operating LMU vehicles or equipment, or while operating personal vehicles for LMU purposes. Visitors, students, and employees are also prohibited from keeping weapons in their personal vehicles parked on LMU’s premises. LMU premises include any property owned, operated, controlled, or managed by it. Individuals are permitted to carry mace, pepper spray, and pocketknives with blades less than four (4) inches if they are stored in a pocket, purse, briefcase, or other personal belongings. Also permitted are paintball weapons to be used for organized recreational purposes on LMU premises.

This policy does not apply to those who are expressly authorized by LMU to use explosives and other authorized tools that could be viewed as weapons in the performance of their jobs.

LMU reserves the right, based upon reasonable suspicion of a violation of this policy, to search an office desk, and other property under the control of the visitor, student or employee, as well as the packages, purses, lunch boxes, briefcases, and students’ or employees’ vehicles parked on its premises. Individuals may also be required to remove a jacket or sweater and to turn out their pockets. Reasonable suspicion sufficient to justify a search may be based on a clear and reasonable belief, through observation or information provided by a reliable and credible source, that an employee is in violation of this policy. Searches of LMU property under the control of the visitor, student or employee are subject to being conducted without notice, once the reasonable suspicion standard has been met.

Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or termination.