"I find it interesting that the slippery slope fallacy keeps popping up again and again in the arguments of pro-gun activists even after the Heller decision . In that decision , the Supreme Court recognized an individual right to own guns but rejected the slippery slope argument that has been used by the gun lobby for years . I also find it hard to believe some of what gets posted in favor of the slippery slope argument- such as claims that Sarah Brady wants all guns to be banned which are contradicted by quotes by her in credible online sources and also such statistics as `` [ i ] t is estimated that there are between 22,000 and 30,000 gun laws on the books in America `` which have little basis in fact : `` The belief that there are approximately 20,000 gun-control laws in the United States has become received wisdom ..... But as it turns out , there appears to be little basis for the number .... Since the early 1980s , the National Rifle Association has mounted a very successful campaign to encourage state governments to enact 'preemption ' laws , forbidding local governments from enacting their own gun laws . Today , more than 40 states preempt all or most local gun-control laws , which has likely reduced the overall number of local gun laws .... Clearly the 20,000 figure is more a product of advocacy than science . And however it was initially derived , the trend toward preemption of local laws has substantially reduced the total . The most informative answer to the question of 'how many gun-control laws ? ' is then 'about 300 major state and federal laws , and an unknown but shrinking number of local laws . ' '' http : //www.brookings.edu/es/urban/pu ... s/gunbook4.pdf So why does the slippery slope fallacy keep appearing despite a Supreme Court ruling that stands in the way of it becoming a reality , a decline in the number of gun laws , and little or no credible evidence to suggest that gun control advocates really do intend to ban all guns ? Could it be that pro-gun extremists find it necessary to resort to the slippery slope fallacy because they find it otherwise difficult to make a convincing argument against reasonable and common sense gun laws aimed at protecting law abiding citizens from gun violence and the misuse of firearms ?"
"From your source which indeed does have its own slippery slope built in . '' Another problem with estimating the number of gun laws is agreeing on a definition of just what is to be included . For example , many local laws prohibit carrying or firing guns in public places . Inclusion of such laws would certainly inflate national estimates of the number of gun laws. `` And here comes tada one of the slippery slopes . '' But if one considers only laws that control the manufacture , design , sale , purchase , or possession of gunsÂ—the cluster of laws many probably imagine as constituting gun-control lawsÂ—the number of local laws will be much smaller . With most gun laws containing numerous , interrelated subparts , there is also no clear rule for defining what should count as a separate law. `` And yet another . '' In short , no matter how the 20,000- gun-law figure was initially derived , the overwhelming trend toward preemption of local laws is likely to have substantially reduced the total . Even a very liberal interpretation of what should count as a separate law would leave the total well short of 20,000. `` Yea right ! '' In our view , the discovery that there may be as few as 300 major statewide laws that fit our definition of a gun-control statute ( with some states having as few as one or two such laws ) yields a far more appropriate figure for public-policy discussion. `` In other words we do n't really have a clue here but we 'll call it short so we win . Nice try though ."
"Could it be that pro-gun extremists find it necessary to resort to the slippery slope fallacy because they find it otherwise difficult to make a convincing argument against reasonable and common sense gun laws aimed at protecting law abiding citizens from gun violence and the misuse of firearms ?"
"In other words we do n't really have a clue here but we 'll call it short so we win . Nice try though ."