Alabama Lawmaker Opposes Arming Teachers Because 'Lady Teachers' Are 'Scared Of Guns'

An Alabama lawmaker says arming teachers to protect against gun violence in schools is a bad idea because “it’s mostly ladies that’s teaching” and the majority of them would not feel comfortable carrying a weapon.

State Rep. Harry Shiver (R) made his comments during a legislative committee hearing last Thursday on a measure that would allow certain teachers in Alabama to carry firearms after undergoing training and gaining a recommendation from a school or police official.

“We don’t need to have a lady teacher in a school that’s got a firearm,” Shiver said, citing his experience as a retired teacher.

“I taught for 32 years, and it’s mostly ladies that’s teaching, and they got more things to worry about than a gun,” he said.

He elaborated on his comments in an interview with AL.com, claiming that many women “are scared of guns” and that lawmakers should protect “our ladies.”

“Most women wouldn’t like to be put in that position” of being armed, he said. “If they want to, then that’s good. But most of them don’t want to learn how to shoot ... and carry a gun.”

The committee approved the bill, sending it to the full House, which will debate it this week.

Other states are considering similar legislative provisions in response to last month’s school massacre in Parkland, Florida.

President Donald Trump also backs allowing “highly trained expert teachers” to pack firearms in schools as “a deterrent” ― one of the few gun-related proposals he’s offered in the wake of the Florida shooting and one that the National Rifle Association supports.

At the Alabama committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Mary Moore agreed with Shiver, saying that “you can’t find a male” in schools that she has encountered.

“I know in Birmingham, you can’t find a male, you could go to four or five schools in a row, and there’s not one male in any of those schools to do much of anything,” she said.

Moore also claimed that school superintendents “will hire a female over a male teacher because they say it’s easier to control a female teacher.”

About 79 percent of Alabama’s public school teachers are female, according to state Department of Education data for the 2017-18 school year.

Nationally, 77 percent of public school teachers in the 2015-16 school year were female, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Also on HuffPost

Students walk out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the National School Walkout to protest gun violence in Parkland, Florida.
Students walk out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the National School Walkout to protest gun violence in Parkland, Florida.
Students chant outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the walkout.
Students chant outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the walkout.
Students from Stuyvesant High School walk out in New York City.
Students from Stuyvesant High School walk out in New York City.
Students gather outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
Students gather outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
Students participate in a march in support of the National School Walkout in the Queens borough of New York City. 
Students participate in a march in support of the National School Walkout in the Queens borough of New York City. 
Students from Grace Church School walk out in New York City
Students from Grace Church School walk out in New York City
Students from Grace Church School walk out in New York City.
Students from Grace Church School walk out in New York City.
Students at Philadelphia High School of Creative And Performing Arts participate in the walkout. 
Students at Philadelphia High School of Creative And Performing Arts participate in the walkout. 
Students at Wekiva High School in Apopka, Florida participate in the walkout. 
Students at Wekiva High School in Apopka, Florida participate in the walkout. 
Columbine High School student Leah Zunder holds a sign.
Columbine High School student Leah Zunder holds a sign.
Students at Lane Technical High School in Chicago held signs in support of the walkout.
Students at Lane Technical High School in Chicago held signs in support of the walkout.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.