Since the Parkland, Florida, school massacre that left 17 dead, Republicans have once again had to spin their wheels as to why they are so unwilling to do anything about gun safety in our country. Some want us to arm students like in the olden days, and some want us to arm teachers because the best defense is a good offense, amiright? But some of these Republicans are having a hard time resolving their desire to turn schools into tiny prisons with their inherent sexism. Alabama State Rep. Harry Shiver explains that he does not believe teachers should be armed. How about that? Most everyone here agrees. Now, let’s let Rep. Shiver illustrate how mistaken we are to think he has a cogent understanding of the world. Talking to AL.com about his fine-tuned understanding of guns, women, and public education, Rep. Shiver had this to say:
Most women, and women teachers in particular, "are scared of guns," and should not be expected to carry them in classrooms, he said.
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"I'm not saying all (women), but in most schools, women are (the majority) of the teachers," Shiver told AL.com. "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."
Mr. Shiver is just north of 70 years old, and it’s likely that some of this sensibility comes from being reared as a young lad before the world went topsy-turvy and the feminist movement took hold. As obnoxious as this opinion is, it’s considerably less dangerous than Republican Will Ainsworth’s, sponsor of HB 435, which passed through Alabama’s House Committee.
The one thing that State Rep. Shiver gets right is that most teachers (of all genders) have no interest in becoming the first line of defense against a country with too many powerful weapons—and zero public health laws surrounding them.