May 27, 2005
Slippery Slope
You say you don't see any problem with banning those .50 caliber long distance rifles which a handful of enthusiasts use for precision shooting competitions and which could conceivably be used by a terrorist to do something horrible? You say you don't see any problem with banning those scary looking so-called assault rifles which are after all only barely powerful enough for deer hunting and therefore serve no legitimate purpose? Well, my friend, once you let that particular camel's nose into the tent, this is where it leads.
Posted by triticale at May 27, 2005 09:34 AMBy that rationale, banning anythng at all will inevitably lead to everythng being banned. Conversely, allowing anythng at all must inevitably lead to total anarchy.
As these two conditions are mutually exclusive and neither one actually seems to be happening, perhaps "slippery slope"-type arguments should be considered simplistic and foolish and not worth paying attention to.
Posted by: phh at May 29, 2005 09:04 PMSome surfaces are sloped, some of these are slippery. All absolute statements are false.
The British people apparantly agreed to give up their gun rights on the understanding that it would make them safer. Evidence is that it hasn't. Those who want US citizens to give up their guns also claim that their incremental steps will make us safer. Evidence is that they don't, but they keep calling for just a little more.
Posted by: triticale at May 30, 2005 09:35 AM