Women who fear being raped can't be trusted with firearms, suggested a state representative on the floor of the Colorado House, showing that foot-in-mouth disease is not just a Republican malady.

Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar later was forced to apologize for the remark he made on Friday.

Arguing in favor of disarming college students, Salazar suggested that some women if armed might "pop a round at somebody" if they were unjustifiably afraid of being raped, The Daily Caller reported.

"It’s why we have call boxes; it’s why we have safe zones; it’s why we have the whistles — because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop a round at somebody," Salazar said.

The remarks, made in support of Colorado House Bill 1226 banning concealed-carry firearms within all college campus buildings in the state, triggered an immediate response from Republicans.

"I’m sorry, a whistle and a call box are not going to help that woman on campus," said Republican State Rep. Polly Lawrence on the House floor.

Lawrence also dismissed Salazar’s notion "that women don’t know when we’re going to be raped, that [women] can’t recognize when there’s an inherent danger?" reported local Fox News affiliate KDVR.

Fellow State Rep. Lori Saine, a Republican, also took issue with Salazar's remarks.

"My daughter’s going to be going off to college in about 10 years. I can’t imagine her only option’s going to be to outrun her attacker to a call box. I think she’s going to be responsible enough to handle a gun," Saine said.

Salazar apologized for his remarks on Monday.

"I’m sorry if I offended anyone," Salazar said in a statement. "That was absolutely not my intention. We were having a public policy debate on whether or not guns make people safer on campus. I don’t believe they do. That was the point I was trying to make. If anyone thinks I’m not sensitive to the dangers women face, they’re wrong. I am a husband and father of two beautiful girls, and I’ve spent the last decade defending women’s rights as a civil rights attorney. Again, I’m deeply sorry if I offended anyone with my comments."

The Democrat-controlled House later approved the bill on a voice vote on Friday. It still requires a recorded vote before being put before Colorado's Democrat-led Senate.

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