Ex-criminal: Owning a gun won’t make you safe, but guess what will?

Thursday morning I said that there's a no blanket solution for preventing mass shootings – and a former criminal proved my point.

"Everybody thinks that when you get a gun, you're safe now. No." said Jay, who identified himself as a "retired, professional criminal" who had committed crimes with a gun.

According to him, merely owning a firearm doesn't make you safe. He said knowledge of someone else owning a gun can actually embolden a criminal in his approach of that person, because he'll expect a defense.

But even if he didn't know about guns in someone's house, for example, the homeowner would also be at a disadvantage because state law requires them to keep their guns locked up.

In discussing the complex absurdities that make up New Jersey gun laws, Jay also pointed out that despite his criminal past he can still get a gun because he was never convicted.

"This is what you guys fail to understand. Criminals don't go to the gun shop to buy guns because they know they're going to use it for a crime. So why would they put it in their name?" he said. Instead, criminals will steal other people's guns.

Finally, Jay backed up my theory that owning a home defense dog is an effective way to deter people from breaking into your home.

If there's a pit-bull in your house, "I'm not goin' in there!" he said.

What do you think of Jay's comments? Let me know below or by tweeting @BillSpadea.