GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - Alabama State Representative Will Ainsworth says he will introduce legislation that would allow some public school teachers and administrators to carry a gun during school hours.
He says concerned educators from Marshall County reached out to him Thursday evening in the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting that left 17 dead.
"They wanted to know what we could do to prevent that in Alabama," said Ainsworth.
The first term legislator says he is researching the issue.
"Our kids are literally sitting ducks. You saw the video online of kids having to hide behind desks – they were literally defenseless. That's where this came from," explained Ainsworth.
Ainsworth plans to work with lawmakers from other Alabama communities to draft this legislation.
"If a teacher, an administrator, a coach, a principal would like to be armed they can go through a training process. It's going to be a POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) process used for law enforcement and they can actually carry a firearm in the school system."
The state representative believes this could deter school shootings in Alabama.
"They are going to be able to protect the kids and a gunman may think twice about going into a school," said Ainsworth.
He says he thinks lawmakers around the nation should consider similar legislation. However, he doesn't believe that current gun laws need to change.
