Glad to see the gun debate has simmered down.

[rucky]

Who all was advocating for background checks - just last week? I'm sure this new topic is totally and completely utterly different, but it would be interesting to hear people reconcile between the two issues on that sliding scale of privacy and security: NSA vs. Gun Control. Obviously the data's all there: Whatever information they pull from that background check and whatever they get from Verizon and teh Google.

We never really settled on what background check criteria we'd use to approve or deny a gun purchase. If we came up with an algorithm, we could pre approve/deny potential gun owners from all the data that's out there, now. Why wait until they try to make a purchase?

[Laelth]

1. I am on the same side on both issues.

I am pro-Constitution, most of the time, but definitely on these two issues. I think gun control measures are a loser for the Democratic Party (even if they are sane and wise), and I think the Party would be better off supporting the 4th Amendment and privacy as opposed to the machine of state surveillance and illusory security.

-Laelth

[Fumesucker]

2. I think if "background check" includes every phone call or other correspondence you've ever made

Every Facebook update and like or dislike, every email, every DU post (oh shit!), every Skype, every Tweet, every pron download and so on then we are talking about equivalent intrusion.