Foster Parents Lose Kids For Defending Home

Kristi and Rob Beber of Las Vegas. photo from

New legislation in Nevada allows foster parents to possess a loaded firearm when acting lawfully, but it came a little too late for Kristi and Rod Beber.

The couple have been foster parents for over five years and have taken in over 100 kids. On April 3, according, the Bebers had three foster children in their care when they were awakened by people screaming outside their home. They looked outside to see their neighbors on the Bebers' property, enraged and screaming.

The Las Vegas couple told the local NBC affiliate that Kristi called the police while Rod retrieved his gun and they waited for police to arrive.

"You want to protect your family and your house," Rod said. "as a (CCW permit holder), on of the first things you want to do is take control of the situation."

Once police showed up, the incident ended. A report was taken and nobody was arrested or charged with anything. However, three months later, the Department of Family Services pulled the Bebers' foster license.

The agency told the Bebers in documents that "the incident did not describe an adult exercising sound judgment," and the documents cited a law that forbids any foster parent from having a loaded firearm in their home, regardless of the situation.

But, on June 10, the law cited in the documents was changed. Under AB167, foster parents are allowed to have a loaded gun out of their safe for lawful purposes, such as home defense, as long as it is legally owned. They can even carry, with the proper permit, in some situations. The law went into effect after the incident at the Bebers' home, but before they received their license revocation in the mail.

The couple plans to fight the DFS decision and Kristi stands by her husband's decision to get his gun.

They haven't received any word from DFS about getting their license back.