There's arguably nothing more important than your family's safety. When it comes to self-protection, the conversation often turns to guns, and a common question: "Do I need one?"
An Arkansas firearms expert said it's more than a simple "yes" or "no" question.
"Denial is the number one killer -- not really the bad guys," Ryan Stephens, founder of S7 Tactical, said. "It's denial that nothing's going to happen and we find ourselves unprepared."
La Donna Gulley is a single mom of three boys ages 14 to 27. Gulley said she has always feared guns, but now she's considering buying one to protect herself and her family.
"You have to be aware of your surroundings, but that's only part of it," Gulley said. "You need some type of protection."
Gulley spent a recent Saturday morning at the S7 Tactical Arkansas Gun Club in Conway County, where Stephens began the process of teaching her to handle a firearm. She started off practicing with a laser gun.
Stephens is a two-tour Marine Corps combat veteran who now teaches self-defense and firearms techniques to a wide variety of clients -- everyone from law enforcement officers to soccer moms.
"We hear it all the time: 'Ryan, what do I need to do to be safe?' and there's a focal point, what people focus on is firearms," Stephens said. "It's like they connect. It's like every time I have to talk about safety I have to talk about firearms."
Stephens said that is the wrong way to approach personal security.
"I think the biggest myth when it comes to personal protection is that you buy a firearm and it instantly makes you safe," Stephens said.
Instead, he said guns are -- and should be considered -- a tool of last resort.
"We have an over-reliance on firearms, in my opinion, and what we do is we put all of our safety, all of our eggs into one basket per se, and we forget things that could be reasonable and responsible to increase our safety," Stephens said.
Stephens teaches his clients the "Spectrum of Protection," which is a four-layered approach to personal safety:
- Deterrence
- Detection
- Fortification
- Confrontation
Deterrence:
"If you have a neighborhood watch program, it could probably keep you more safe than buying a firearm," Stephens said. "If you know your community, that's a huge deterrence.
He also suggests proper exterior lighting and a wireless alarm system.
Detection
"Next is detection," Stephens said. "Detection could be video cameras; it could be a dog."
Fortification
Fortification is the third layer.
"[It's] having your house properly secured -- keeping your garage closed day or night, having proper locks," Stephens said.
Confrontation
The final layer, should it become necessary, is confrontation, according to Stephens. He said that could entail shining a flashlight on an intruder, yelling at them, or pulling a gun.
"Where does the firearm fit? In the very last category," Stephens said. "So why don't we focus our efforts on the first three categories?"
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"Do I need a gun?"
When someone is considering the purchase of a firearm, Stephens said they need to consider a key question.
"If you're going to get a firearm, are you going to be a liability or an asset to the community -- and you really need to ask yourself that," he said.
If you end up buying one, Stephens said proper training and on-going practice is an absolute must.
"The firearm isn't going to make you safe," he said. "It's the hammer. The hammer isn't going to build the house; you build the house."
After practicing with a laser gun and paper target, La Donna made her way to the range -- just the beginning she said of a journey toward responsible gun ownership.
"I'll continue training before I personally purchase a gun and come out to the range to shoot so that I'm used to the gun," she said.
Stephens said simply thinking you're safe is not enough, and that you need to take the proper steps to ensure your security.
"Be aware. Seek out education. Have a choice," he said.