I think that the most charitable interpretation (for the FBI) is that they believe their targets are some kind of "unexploded ordnance". That is, people who ha

I think that the most charitable interpretation (for the FBI) is that they believe their targets are some kind of "unexploded ordnance". That is, people who haven't been radicalized, and who aren't likely to go on shooting rampages, but who could be convinced to "kill" people with some psychological distance by firing a fake missile or pushing a button. The problem from my point of view is that these are simultaneously victims who will spend years in prison, and people capable of clearing a low bar in terms of willingness to kill strangers. My sense is that these are people who could go the rest of their lives without harm, but of course I don't know. It reminds me of the old ethics saw. It's a box where, if you push the button, some American you don't know dies and you get $1,000,000. The FBI is making the death roughly that abstract, and sending people to jail for pushing the button.