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Local groups call for gun restrictions, others fighting back

Posted at 9:08 PM, Jul 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-08 23:30:13-04

When Becky Bieker and her husband came face to face with four armed robbers at their gun store, “She’s a Pistol,” they fought back and fired their guns.

Her husband Jon Bieker died in the shootout, but she says she believes that if they had not both been carrying a gun she would have died as well.

“I firmly believe, I know 100 percent that if we had not been armed that day he and I both would have been killed," said Bieker.

That’s why she does not want to see gun restrictions.

"Until we can guarantee that criminals cannot get guns then it is not appropriate to take guns from law abiding citizens," said Bieker.

Others, including Loren Staton who heads the Northeast Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, disagrees.

"The public is to the point where they want something done, I'm convinced, the momentum on this issue for people who want something done is really been building in recent months," said Staton.

Staton’s group wants to introduce a bill in Kansas to expand background checks. He’s also working to stop guns on campus before it takes effect next summer.

As for Becky, she hopes to educate people on gun use.

"I know what the families and friends and survivors are going through firsthand and it is heart wrenching, it is very difficult, I understand what they feel but that said we need to find a better method to control crime,” said Bieker. 

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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com

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