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POCOMOKE — When Hardwire LLC founder George Tunis watches tragic events on the evening news, his hearts sinks like everyone else’s, but his mind goes right to work. Horrific events in our often violent world have inspired Tunis to develop products that have saved countless lives and may end up saving countless more. Hardwire’s massive manufacturing facility sits on the banks of the Pocomoke River in southern Worcester County and is the home base for the growing defense company that creates armor for everything from the military Hum-V’s on the front lines of war in the Middle East to the bulletproof whiteboards found in classrooms all over the globe.

Yet, for a guy who spends a lot of time dealing with classified information and projects, Tunis opened up to The Dispatch in a rare sit down about how homegrown innovation could help put a stop to some of the senseless violence we see in our world.

In an effort to put a spotlight on a few of Maryland's local businesses, Gov. Larry Hogan, as well as Sen. Jim Mathias, visited Pocomoke City's Hardwire Armor Systems on Tuesday, June 21.

Founded in 2000 by George Tunis, Hardwire produces armor technology for application anywhere from the classroom to military environments. Beginning as a company specifically focused on building and bridge protection, Hardwire expanded to military and private armor following the events of 9/11.

Tunis talked about the roots of Hardwire to Hogan, while displaying photos of the decrepit building that once stood at Hardwire's site.

"The building was disgusting," Tunis said. "At the time, that was me alone. My mom cried when she saw the building."

The number of incidents in which a shooter opens fire on a crowd of people more than doubled over the past seven years compared with the previous seven, the FBI found in a study made public Wednesday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation analyzed 160 "active shooter" incidents from 2000 through 2013 to look for common elements that might guide law enforcement officers in preventing the shootings or responding more effectively.

The study found an average of six incidents per year from 2000 through 2006. The number rose to 16 incidents annually in the past seven years.

As the problem of campus sexual assault gains more attention, parents of prospective college students may wonder whether the schools they are considering are sufficiently addressing student safety – and responding both compassionately and fairly to reports of sexual misconduct. 

One resource that each school is required to provide annually is known in shorthand as a Clery report, which includes crime data and safety policies. These can typically be found online.

Hardwire is excited to sponsor the VTV Family Outreach Foundation and 32 National Campus Safety Initiative™ in supporting efforts to educate, prevent, and assist victims of campus crime.