Friar Bijou wrote:
So gbaji, what's a compelling reason to not have a public list of gun owners?
The same compelling reason to not have a public list of how people voted in the last election. The concern that they would be unfairly exposed to public pressure for doing something that is completely legal, but which their neighbors might not agree with. Not to mention the concern that this might just tell criminals exactly where to go if they want to steal a gun. This is ironic given the relatively recent outrage when news agencies put out a google map showing the locations of registered gun owners. There are a host of reasons such information should not be public. Do I really need to explain them to you?
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"The government will take them" will only earn you a 
so don't go there.
so don't go there.Didn't mention it, but why don't we just make gun owners wear yellow stars on their clothes while we're at it?
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"The thieves will know where to break in" will fall apart, because, according to you, the gun-owners will shoot them dead upon entry.
Cause they're going to be home 100% of the time, right? I'm sure that argument sounds great on a bumper sticker though.
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Go.
Beyond the specific concerns, it's also a matter of privacy. We should not need a compelling reason to not have the government collect data about your life and make it public. We should require a compelling reason for any release of private information about an individual without their consent. Is there one in this case? Is there a compelling reason not to have a public list of women who've had abortions? How about lists of what books people read? What they watch on TV? What movies they rent? Let's make lists of associations while we're at it. It's a terrible idea. Doubly so given that gun ownership is an enumerated right in our constitution.