# Yet another reason to Pit the NRA - no taggants in gunpowder

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-reason-to-pit-the-nra-no-taggants-in-gunpowder/656031>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 18, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-reason-to-pit-the-nra-no-taggants-in-gunpowder/656031 "2013-04-18T13:03:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 521

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-reason-to-pit-the-nra-no-taggants-in-gunpowder/656031/521 "2013-05-10T19:32:50Z")

</div>

> [@elucidator](#):
>
> Not sure I quite see your point. There are no taggants in _any_ gunpowder. That they were not present in fireworks gunpowder makes no difference. One might well wonder why they went to the trouble of dismantling fireworks when black gunpowder is so available. I’m going with “stupid”, absent any further evidence to the contrary. Admittedly, the point is moot, they were caught anyway.
> 
> I’m just having a bit of fun using the **Counselor** ’s favored method of excruciatingly precise semantic distinction, hoist on his on retard, so to speak.

Let’s go over this precise semantic distinction again:

> [@](#):
>
> Yet another reason to Pit the NRA - no taggants in gunpowder  
> And so it’s impossible to track the gunpowder in the Boston Marathon bombs.
> 
> Thanks, NRA, for freedom.

The NRA had nothing to do with the lack of taggants in fireworks gunpowder.

> [@](#):
>
> Could the gunpower used in the bombings have been traced if taggants were required? Maybe yes, maybe no, but without such taggants it would be impossible to track the gunpowder.

“Maybe yes?” No. There’s no “maybe” about it. “No,” period.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-reason-to-pit-the-nra-no-taggants-in-gunpowder/656031)._