Actually, a high quality reader and RFID tag can work 10-15 feet away.

Think of EZ Pass type toll tags, which can work 10 feet away while you're driving 15MPH.

And what was that line at the end talking about terrorists using foil pouches to smuggle weapons? As if they can't do that now? The could only do it if they had a foil pouch given to them by the government for use with passports I don't know what benefit that would be anyway, a foil pouch isn't going to do anything. Weapons don't have RFID tags on them.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365465