A study from the Office of Technology Assessment suggests that taggants could destabilize smokeless powder and black powder. Although Switzerland is frequently cited as a model for the use of taggants, that country does not require taggants in smokeless powder and black powder. Finally, according to the Office of Technology Assessment, taggants are easy to remove from gunpowder by sifting, or by viewing the powder under black light and picking the taggants out with tweezers. Other taggants can be removed with a magnet. Wiretapping The Fourth Amendment has also come under severe attack, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agencies have used terrorism as a vehicle to push existing plans for significantly expanded electronic surveillance.
Terrorists are, of course, already subject to being wiretapped.
Yet, as federal wiretaps set record highs every year, wiretaps are used overwhelmingly for gambling and drugs. From 1983 to 1993, of the 8,800 applications for eavesdropping, only 16 were for arson, explosives, or firearms. Wiretaps are currently authorized for the interception of particular speakers on particular phone lines. Although roving wiretaps are currently available when the government shows the court a need, there is a campaign to allow roving wiretaps without court approval. In other words, the FBI would be on the honor system for conducting wiretaps according to the Constitution.