Craig, the Patriot Act wasn't from left field. I referenced it in a post concerning social dynamics of why Canadians went along with registration. Americans accepted a far more draconian assault on liberties with the Patriot Act. On that evidence alone, Obama asking the general public to support proposed checks and sales reporting would be a much easier sell. And that, my friend, is registration light. It's not a question of Reason prevailing. It's caving in big-time to unwarranted arbitrary measures. That's not "injecting unrelated controversy" but a needle of reality.