But threats from within could be as serious as those around the globe. More than three dozen incidents on U.S. soil of people attempting to develop or use such weapons are now under active investigation by the FBI's antiterrorism unit. That's double the number from the previous year. Not all are convinced that there is a new terrorism threat. They claim government authorities have overreacted to a situation of minimal consequence, or that defense contractors need a specter now that the Soviet Union is gone in order to justify Pentagon spending.
Terrorism is in decline.
Colo. Kopel and others worry new spending programs and sweeping new laws such as the 1996 anti-terrorism bill hand over far too much authority to federal agencies. Kopel also objects to the Clinton administration's push to limit encryption technology, which is in part an anti-terrorist measure. But the emergence of possible biochemical attack troubles even Kopel. The Constitution was not designed for that particular set of technologies. A criminal could do far more damage than two centuries ago.