# Betsy DeVos' "Grizzly Bear Attacks" Remark In January 2017, Betsy DeVos stunned her Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Education by suggesting Wyoming schools might need firearms to defend against grizzly bears. Activist DeRay Mckesson clipped the exchange to Twitter that evening, and within 48 hours Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were mocking the line on late-night TV. ## Origin On January 17, 2017, during DeVos's Senate HELP Committee confirmation hearing for Secretary of Education under President Donald Trump, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy asked whether "guns have any place in or around our schools"[1]. DeVos answered that the issue was "best left to locales and states to decide," then pointed to a Wyoming school she said needed firearms "to protect from potential grizzlies"[5]. That same evening, activist DeRay Mckesson posted the grizzly bear clip to Twitter, where it drew more than 6,000 likes and 4,900 retweets within 72 hours[2]. - **Platform:** US Senate hearing (C-SPAN) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Betsy DeVos (source quote); meme creator Unknown - **Date:** 2017 ## Overview Senator Chris Murphy's question about firearms in schools was answered with DeVos pointing to a Wyoming school she said needed guns "to protect from potential grizzlies"[1]. Her literal reference to bear attacks as justification for guns on campus turned the exchange into the hearing's defining online joke[2]. Reactions online took a few shapes: screenshotted quotes from the hearing, photoshops of bears walking through classrooms, and mock endorsements of DeVos's nomination featuring wildlife[7]. Catch-up threads appeared on Reddit for people confused by the sudden flood of bear references in political feeds[6]. ## How to Use Posts referencing the Grizzly Bear Attacks Remark typically combine a screenshot or clip of DeVos's answer with an image of a bear in a school setting, or caption absurd scenes with mock earnest defenses of guns in classrooms against wildlife[5]. Late-night shows worked the line into monologues the same week[8]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Betsy DeVos' "Grizzly Bear Attacks" Remark? A statement made during Betsy DeVos's January 17, 2017 Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Education, in which she suggested a Wyoming school might need firearms to protect students from grizzly bears[1]. The clip was mocked widely online in the days that followed[5]. ### Where did Betsy DeVos' "Grizzly Bear Attacks" Remark come from? During the hearing, Senator Chris Murphy asked DeVos whether guns belonged in schools, and she pointed to a Wyoming school she said needed guns to defend against grizzlies[1]. Activist DeRay Mckesson posted the clip to Twitter the same evening, where it drew thousands of likes and retweets[2]. ### What does Betsy DeVos' "Grizzly Bear Attacks" Remark mean? Online, the line is read as an absurd defense of firearms in schools because it treats wild animal attacks as a reason to keep guns on campus, and jokes about it zeroed in on that literal premise[6]. Reactions ranged from screenshots of the quote to photoshops of bears inside classrooms[7]. ### How do you use Betsy DeVos' "Grizzly Bear Attacks" Remark? Posts typically combine a screenshot or clip of DeVos's answer with a photoshopped bear in a school hallway, or caption absurd scenes with mock endorsements of her nomination[7]. The line is also quoted directly as a punchline about guns in schools[4]. ### Is Betsy DeVos' "Grizzly Bear Attacks" Remark still popular? The joke peaked in the days following DeVos's January 2017 confirmation hearing and is remembered as a defining moment of her nomination[5]. It is cited historically in retrospectives about her tenure as Secretary of Education rather than as an active meme template today. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3xBGq3bvcQ]() 2. [https://twitter.com/deray/status/821546173026578433]() 3. [https://twitter.com/i/moments/821559014756491264]() 4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/5opox6/citing_grizzlies_education_nominee_says_states/]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/betsy-devos-grizzly-bear-attacks-remark]() 6. [https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/5ot7hc/what_is_with_the_recent_memes_about_betsy_devoss/]() 7. [http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028493522]() 8. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVtuohm-Vgo]() 9. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79BJN4lfTA8]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/betsy-devos-grizzly-bear-attacks-remark Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library