Teachers who train and qualify could have guns in school under a bill approved this morning by an Alabama House of Representatives committee.

The bill by Rep. Will Ainsworth, R-Guntersville, is one of the proposals sparked by the mass shooting that killed 17 people at a Florida high school on Feb. 14.

The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved it on a 5-4 vote. The bill is still a long way from becoming law. It would have to pass the House and Senate.

The committee heard pros and cons about arming teachers during a public hearing on Wednesday.

The committee adopted a new version of Ainsworth's bill this morning before approving it. Ainsworth said it combined his bill with parts of another by Rep. Allen Farley, R-McCalla. Farley's bill would have allowed school systems to set up volunteer emergency teams under the supervision of county sheriffs and police chiefs.

Farley asked the committee to set his bill aside this morning.

Voting for Ainsworth's bill in committee this morning were Ainsworth, Farley and Reps. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, the committee chairman, Isaac Whorton, R-Valley and Tommy Hanes, R-Scottsboro.

Voting against it were Reps. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa; Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville; Mary Moore, D-Birmingham; and Harry Shiver, R-Stockton.

Shiver, a retired physical education teacher and coach who taught for 32 years, said he opposed the bill because he was against teachers carrying guns, in part, because most teachers are women.

"I taught for 32 years and it's mostly ladies that's teaching and they've got more things to worry about than carrying a gun," Shiver said.

Shiver said teachers with guns would be at risk of being shot by law enforcement responding to a shooting inside a school.

Ainsworth said many women can capably handle firearms, including those who serve in the military and law enforcement.

Moore said instead of arming teachers, the Legislature should boost funding to provide more money for police officers based in schools, often called school resource officers.

Moore said the poorer school systems that can't afford school resource officers also would not be able to pay for the 40-hour training required for any armed teachers under Ainsworth's proposal.

"Even though you give them that option, they can't opt in because they don't have the funding," Moore said.

Ainsworth said the training to arm teachers. would be less expensive that school resource officers.

Under Ainsworth's bill, a teacher or school administrator designated to carry or store a gun on campus would have to complete, at a minimum, 40 hours of training that would include firearms safety, crisis management and active shooter training. They would also have to complete a firearms qualification annually.

Also, before final approval to carry or store a gun, a teacher or administrator would need a recommendation from the school principal, local superintendent and sheriff or chief of police and approval by the local school board.

"It's also going to allow the superintendent, working with the principal as well as the local law enforcement agent, chief of police or the sheriff in that community, to actually decide who would carry," Ainsworth said. "It's still voluntary, strictly permissive."

Ainsworth's bill goes to the House floor.

If it passes the House, Sen. Gerald Dial said he might carry it in the Senate, depending on some of the specifics. Dial said he generally supports the concept.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said it was too soon to assess the chances without knowing specifics on a bill that might ultimately reach the Senate.

"It's my intent to assign it to a committee and just see where it goes from there," Marsh said.

Marsh has said he expects the session to wrap up by the end of the month.