Biologic weapons are cheap and easy with just basic knowledge and gear. No need for firearms. This is the true thing I fear from external and radical internal threats.
Here's some of the info I had for a class discussion for HLS805 class:
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In your answer discuss what makes the practical use of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) terrorism so “challenging” for terrorists.
To quote Koblentz in "Pathogens as Weapons":
"According to a 1969 United Nations study, the cost of causing one civilian casualty per square kilometer was about $2,000 with conventional weapons, $800 with nuclear weapons, $600 with chemical weapons, and only $1 with biological weapons."
This quote shows that with minimal funding, terrorists interested in WMDs can cheaply use biological weapons with mass effects. Also with no fingerprint to trace back to them, they would have minimal repercussions. The challenge is in obtaining these items.
Nuclear/Radiological material is difficult to come by as regulations closely monitor the inventory. So without the help of rogue states, the ability of terrorists to currently possess fissile material is almost non-existent with the exception of material thought to be in the hands of former soviet countries. Some low grade material may be available which would, at worst, lead to a "dirty bomb" form of attack. Carter dismisses "dirty bombs" as a form of WMD since it is a more localized effect, as are chemical weapons.
Chemical can be manufactured or "obtained" through other means. As Stern mentioned:
"The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) acquired a large drum of cyanide with the intention of poisoning water supplies in major U.S. cities"
After a quick search, it appears it was 30 gallons of potassium cyanide which, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it can be used to poison food and water or sprayed as an aerosol to cause asphyxiation if inhaled. As it also has industrial uses, it was probably ordered for a company which one of the member worked, or stolen from a known source. Also ricin has tried to be extracted from castor beans but the quality is poor as stated in Lesson 9: Post 9/11:
"However the instructions “are not capable of achieving a good product for causing a large number of casualties by any exposure route, mainly because of the low content of toxin of the final extracts” (Pita, 2007:32)."
Biological is the most cost efficient as I previously quoted Koblentz in paragraph 1 of this posting. The difficulty currently for terrorist is the know how and equipment. The equipment also can be used for legitimate purposes which makes it difficult for intelligence groups to track the usage and therefore easier for terrorist to acquire it.
Resources:
Ashton Carter, "How to Counter WMD," Foreign Affairs, Sept/Oct 2004
Jessica Stern, “The Prospect of Domestic Bioterrorism," The Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C., 2007.
Gregory Koblenz, "Pathogens as Weapons: The International Security Implications of Biological Warfare,” International Security, Vol. 28, No. 3, Winter 2003/04
Scott Sagan, "Why Do State Build Nuclear Weapons?" International Security, Vol. 21, No. 3, Winter 1996/97
"Introduction to Biological Weapons." Federation of American Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2014.
"The Faces of Right Wing Extremism." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2014.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/EmergencyResponseCard_29750037.html>.
