Harry Shiver, Alabama lawmaker who opposes armed teachers, says ‘ladies’ are ‘scared of guns’

An Alabama lawmaker who opposes a state bill that would allow trained teachers to carry guns in schools recently argued that teachers are mostly “ladies” who are “scared of guns.”

Speaking during a Alabama House committee hearing on Thursday, Republican state Rep. Harry Shiver said, “We don’t need to have a lady teacher in a school that’s got a firearm. I taught for 32 years, and it is mostly ladies that’s teaching, and they got more things to worry about than a gun.”

Democratic state Rep. Mary Moore backed up Mr. Shiver’s comments, saying, “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,” NBC affiliate WSFA reported.

“And you know why these superintendents do that?” she asked. “They will hire a female over a male teacher because they say it’s easier to control a female teacher.”

Lawmakers were discussing a bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Will Ainsworth, that would allow school systems to designate trained teachers and administrators to carry guns on school campuses, AL.com reported. The Public Safety Committee approved the bill Thursday morning.

Mr. Shiver expanded on his comments later Thursday, telling AL.com that most women, and women teachers in particular, “are scared of guns,” and should not be expected to carry them in classrooms.

“I’m not saying all [women], but in most schools, women are [the majority] of the teachers,” Mr. Shiver said. “Some of them just don’t want to [be trained to possess firearms]. If they want to, then that’s good. But most of them don’t want to learn how to shoot like that and carry a gun.”