Terrorism. Lone wolf attacks. Heroin. Home invasions. A veritable explosion in violent crime. Never before have we seen deadly threats to the average U.S. citizen rise at such a precipitous rate.

At Defensor, Inc., we are often asked by the public about gun ownership. Here's some of the questions/comments we routinely receive: How will I know if it's right for me? Guns scare me. What if I have kids in my house? My husband/wife hates guns. What if I accidentally hurt someone?

Maybe the right answer for you is not to own a gun. Maybe it is, but you don't know how to find out. Why not make an informed, intelligent decision?

If you have a group of 5 or more, we can provide you with our Introduction to Firearms course where we introduce you to how a firearm functions, the safety necessities, safe storage, legal responsibilities, etc. And best of all, using non-firing but fully functional replica firearms, you get to hold and simulate loading, cycling, aiming, and pulling the trigger of a firearm. Our expert instructors, all elite military and law enforcement professionals, will guide you in a comfortable, stress-free environment so that you can make an informed choice for yourself.

Best of all, if you choose to pursue additional firearms training or acquiring your pistol permit, Defensor, Inc. can provide the mandatory New York State Pre-Licensing course - at a discount to those who attend our Introduction to Firearms course. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We'd love to help you make the best decision possible for you and your family.

Possessing a firearm to defend yourself, your family, and your home is not enough. You need to know what to do with it, should the worst happen, and what the consequences will be once you pull the trigger. It's not as simple as you might think.

One of Defensor, Inc.'s key points in training is ammunition: what caliber, type of bullet, etc. Why is this a major consideration in defending your home? Watch this video, and think about how this could effect the outcome in an encounter within the confines of your home with your family present. We think you'll find it informative. Please leave your comments below.

Terrorism - the calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimindation or coercion or instilling fear
Synonyms: act of terrorism, terrorist act

Terrorist - a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities

From the New York Times: SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik met online and married two years ago, after he presented himself on a Muslim dating site as a devout young man who liked to fix cars and memorize the Quran. They registered at Target when Ms. Malik became pregnant, with a cheery newlyweds’ catalog of wishes: a car seat, diapers and safety swabs.

But for all the outward signs of suburban normality, this couple, according to the police, used their comfortable home in a middle-class community near here to stockpile weapons and build pipe bombs. And on Wednesday morning, they left their 6-month-old daughter with her grandmother before heading to a holiday party with Mr. Farook’s co-workers where, the police say, they killed 14 people and wounded 21 others. A few hours later, they died in a crush of bullets in a brutal face-off with the police.

As investigators puzzle over their motives, the couple — the husband born in Illinois and raised in Southern California, the wife born in Pakistan and recently living in Saudi Arabia — have emerged as one of the most perplexing pairs in the recent history of mass homicide. Their lives, and motives, remain mysteries to investigators, who are looking at possible ties to international terrorism but have not ruled out the possibility that this was the bloody culmination of a workplace dispute.

Mystery? Perplexing? Really?

After reading the above, what can we conclude? What additional information is required for reasonable people to agree on what category this falls under?

Communication is important. We do so primarily through words, so the language we choose should be accurate, concise, and devoid of the intent to alter or manipulate facts, particularly when lives are at stake. The lives of good, innocent, law-abiding Americans, most particularly.

So let's consider:

Is it likely that the two culprits created a bomb-making factory in their home in the months preceding the slaughter (the home where their baby lived) because the workplace of Farook was so hostile and intolerable that it laid the foundation for a workplace violence event? We suspect not.

Is it likely that the two culprits acquired an arsenal of weapons and ammunition in anticipation of Farook being treated unfairly at work or by society at large at some future, unspecified point in time? Again, we suspect not.

Is it possible that the President, who made his remarks about the need for additional gun control laws before the police began collecting the evidence or relevant facts, was motivated by a pre-existing political agenda?

If the Farooks had been denied access to firearms, as is being promoted by some as a means of preventing these acts, would they have likely not built a bomb factory in their home?

In conclusion, we believe thinking people do not have to wait for government officials to tell us this was a terrorist act. We also do not have to wait to be told their motivations - clearly, this was not workplace violence. And if it wasn't workplace violence, in the sense of the term that is being inferred, what was it? We also do not believe additional gun control laws would have prevented this, or will prevent similar acts in the future - the terrorists will use different methods to create the same outcomes.

We at Defensor care deeply about our rights - speech, the right to bear arms, religious freedom - all of them. We think the American people, our commitment to freedom, and our willingness to sacrifice ourselves to defend it for others are unique in this world. We believe history bears out that truth. And it's cold, unemotional truth, communicated without manipulation, political agenda, or diminishing the harshness of reality that will preserve them. Words matter.

Our thoughts and prayers are with and will remain with the victims, families, and wounded survivors of the cowardly Islamic extremist terror attacks in Paris. And truthfully, cowardly is simply insufficient to describe random attacks against the unarmed, innocent civilians going about their lives. It is in every sense a perfect definition for evil. And this evil is spreading like a malignant cancer throughout the civilized world.

We at Defensor, Inc. implore our leadership and the leadership of free nations throughout the world to finally, unambiguously, decisively, and when appropriate, violently face this threat. There is no time remaining for political posturing, reading the meaning in poll numbers, or toe-testing the waters to see which way certain actions will affect the electorate. It is time for courage, for unvarnished truth, and for some very tough decisions. It is time to look this threat squarely in the eyes and smash it till it no longer exists.

Paris is the City of Light. May it remain so through and beyond this time of darkness.

To all the brave men and women who've served this great nation, 'thank you' is grossly insufficient to describe the depth of gratitude we feel for you. Dave, Pat and I are keenly aware of the sacrifices made on behalf of our country, to preserve freedoms that sometimes seem on the verge of being lost or impinged upon. We understand how unique and historic these freedoms are, and the terrible cost to preserve them. On this Veteran's Day, and every day we breathe free, we say thank you and God bless you.

This is such an important topic, we will be addressing it a great deal more in the future. We'll touch on a few of the facts first.

With gun ownership comes enormous responsibility - there's few who disagree on this point. But where the path to understanding splits is - who's responsible? Is the government responsible for who is allowed to own firearms and of what type, and what features? Is the gun owner responsible for whatever happens in relation to that firearm?

Ultimately, in our estimation, the gun owner should demonstrate sufficient knowledge, proficiency, and awareness of safety concerns to be able to own and bear arms. We don't consider that to be a radical or unreasonable concept. Exercising the legal privilege to operate a motor vehicle requires you to demonstrate all of the above and with that there is no debate. However, we also agree that it is indeed a right - a fundamental right, which should not be impinged upon by anyone, most particularly elected officials whose motivations for doing so can be regarded as, at least, dubious.

There is no sadder, more heart-breaking headline than a child who lost or took the life of another as a result of having access to an improperly stored and secured firearm. There is simply no excuse for these events, and they all come down to one simple reality - the inexcusable negligence of the gun owner. Period.

Before you decide that gun ownership is the right choice for you, be willing to receive ample training to ensure that you can do so responsibly, taking into account the following:

• Safe but practical gun storage
• Holding YOURSELF responsible for keeping firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them
• Knowing AT ALL TIMES the condition of your weapon - is it loaded or not?
• Ensuring family members are aware of your commitment to safe, responsible gun ownership

Remember, Defensor, Inc. has an array of courses available to provide prospective and current gun owners with the knowledge required to assist in preventing these unnecessary acts of negligence from occurring to them and their families. We encourage you to contact us and see where we can hep.

Once firearms became a political issue, the manipulation of the facts began. Picture a large chunk of clay, being molded and shaped into whatever form those with an agenda chose. And it's unfortunate. Defensor, Inc. doesn't encourage or discourage gun ownership - that's a very personal decision. What we do advocate, and in the strongest way possible, is to educate yourself and understand what firearms are, how they work, what they will and won't do, and ultimately what they might represent.

Defensor, Inc. was the first company to recognize the training gap that existed in the civilian world when it came to responsible gun ownership and training, and knew we had the expertise to rectify that gap. It is our position that if you should decide gun ownership is the right choice for you and your family, that it be an informed choice made through an acute understanding of firearms, where you get to handle, cycle, and take the fear of the unknown out of the equation.

Our Introduction to Firearms course provides a safe classroom environment where we teach you how a gun functions and all the things to make you familiar with it as a tool. We have non-firing, completely safe guns that you'll be able to handle, and our expert instructor staff will walk you through each and every function, from inspecting the gun to unloading and rendering safe for cleaning and storage. We invite you to attend our very affordable class ($45 per person) and take the first steps to understanding firearms in their proper context.

Please contact us if you have questions, and as always, feel free to leave comments below. If you have a group that might be interested in this training, we have the capacity to bring the training to you.

The first course we developed at Defensor, Inc., is Home Defense Training which is focused on measures to take to avoid ever becoming a victim in the first place. The more we teach this class, the more apparent it becomes that people expose themselves to risk through social media, and they weren't aware of it prior to our course. They tend to sit up a little straighter, take more notes, and ask more questions when we cover this topic. Particularly when we demonstrate how easy it is to find exploitable information about the average social media user, with pages on such platforms as Facebook. Frankly, it's worrisome to see how many people share relatively intimate details about their lives, their families, and their routines to potentially tens of thousands of strangers globally. Be sure to develop a policy for yourself, your friends and family, and avoid putting out information that could be exploited by someone with bad intentions. As always, we would be happy to have you attend our training, but either way, don't make it easy for the bad guys! Take a look at this video:

Opening your home page, picking up a newspaper, or turning on any news network can leave you with a sense of how increasingly volatile the world around us is becoming. The heroin explosion happening in western New York and elsewhere is alarming to say the least. With the spread of this truly evil drug comes addiction, an increase in violent crime, and death. Take a look at your local crime statistics (Google, "crime statistics" followed b your zip code). The Buffalo area, according to the latest crime statistics available (2013) as posted on HomeFacts.com, doesn't fare too well. Violent crime in the Buffalo area is up 245%. Property crime is up 86%. 

It is not our intent to scare-monger or encourage an atmosphere of paranoia. These numbers are intended to educate, illuminate, and be a cause for action. If you can't or prefer not to take one of Defensor, Inc. classes, such as our Home Defense Training Class, we encourage to seek credible information from trusted sources to make our city, our neighbors, and ourselves safer.