I have a good friend who is on a/the list. He's an Armenian immigrant who came here as a refugee. He initiated citizenship procedures as soon as he got here, and he has shown nothing but love for this country.
He gets stopped at the airport every time he goes through. He was detained at a roadside seatbelt checkpoint for over an hour because "something odd" came up on his background check. He was almost denied a job teaching at a state university because, again, "something odd" came up in his records.
He has never had so much as a parking ticket. He was interviewed shortly after 9/11 because his father (who died when he was four) studied with a college professor in the 1970's, who then went on to teach someone suspicious. See the logic?
Of course, nobody will admit he's on a list. Those lists are kept secret for our protection, ya know? So, there's no way to find out which list he's on, or with which agency. As such, how does he go about getting removed?
The TSC claims that inappropriate entries are removed, but it's been nine years for him, and of course, there's no way to know what the actual process or criteria are.
To the best of my knowledge, this man has never said an unkind word about this country, nor has he ever been openly critical or any policy or politician.
So, if I speak at a 2nd Amendment rally and there are a few skinheads in the back, do I get on the list? What if something I've written just strikes the wrong chord with someone in charge? What if someone who just doesn't like me calls a hotline out of spite?
How will I even know? Essentially, I'll be prohibited from buying firearms, and I will have no recourse.
Be very wary of the rhetoric, and be even more critical of policies implemented in its wake.