Brian and Valerie Wilson, of Las Vegas, Nevada were denied their right to become foster parents because the couple has permits to carry guns.
The couple told Fox & Friends, “I really want a family. It really is heartbreaking because these kids are in institutionalized homes; they aren’t getting the families that they deserve.”
The couple always dreamt of becoming foster parents and have always wanted to adopt a child, but were prohibited by the state of Nevada because of a regulation that bans foster parents from carrying loaded weapons.
The couple is attempting to get the state to remove this ban. Husband, Brian Wilson stated on the show, “It just doesn’t make sense. We’re talking about law-abiding people, people who have had background checks. We’re not talking about leaving a firearm around the house.”
The Wilsons feel that their possession of gun permits do not make them unqualified to become legal guardians of a foster child. They stated that they received the permits shortly after they were exposed to a home invasion, where they felt defenseless, and Brian went on to say, “We realized that bad things can happen to good people at any time and we need to be responsible.”
Assemblywoman, Olivia Diaz, wanted to express to the couple that guns and ammunition may scare or traumatize foster children into thinking the wrong thing, and that the foster parents may be sending out the wrong message to these children.
Photo By: Cathleen Allison/Las Vegas Review-Journal
