Proposed state law would give cops the freedom to shoot down drones
William Merideth, the man who infamously shot down a drone over his Kentucky property last year, was ultimately cleared of all charges. But a new state law proposed by a Utah legislator would take drone-shooting to a new level of legal acceptability. Senate Bill 210, if passed, would be the first law on the books to explicitly allow the shooting down of drones by law enforcement.
The bill, written by Utah Senator Wayne Harper would not only give cops the go-ahead to shoot down certain drones, but would also limit the use of drones around prisions and wildfires, as well as establish the ideas of “aerial trespassing” and “aerial voyeurism,” Ars Technica reports.
As for the part about shooting down offenders, the bill allows for law enforcement:
to force the termination of the flight of an unmanned aircraft by (i) disabling or damaging the unmanned aircraft; (ii) interfering with any portion of the unmanned aircraft system associated with the unmanned aircraft; or (iii) otherwise taking control of the unmanned aircraft or the unmanned aircraft system associated with the unmanned aircraft.
You can see how the language leaves plenty of room for law enforcement to use any one of many emerging drone-capture technologies including aerially fired nets and even trained eagles. And then it also leaves room for a 12-gauge loaded with droneshot.
The FAA, Ars Technica points out, is understandably concerned, citing the real hazards of falling drones. Other experts point to the muddiness of the definition of drone; the law, as written, authorizes the shooting down of vehicles the FAA classifies as aircraft. And while there have yet to be any cases invoking federal laws against the destruction of aircraft, you could see how a bill like this might lead to that conclusion.
Of course it’s only an issue if the bill passes into law, but there is clearly a hunger for legal and technical solutions to the growing fear of peeping drones. Perhaps the best solution doesn’t involve crash landings.
Source: Ars Technica
