Careful With Your New Drone - Authorities May Soon Be Able Shoot It Down
Image Credit: Naypong via iStock
Congress just recently passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, and as part of the legislation, law enforcement and other related authorities will be able to shoot down private drones.
Of course, the criteria for actually shooting down a drone requires it to be a "credible threat." The problem with that (at least from my point of view) is that a credible threat to one person might not be a credible threat to another.
The bigger issue according to critics of the legislation is that authorities are not required to get a warrant before bringing a drone down.
That fact combined with the is-it-a-credible-threat-or-not question makes drone pilots understandably nervous.
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For you legal buffs out there, the First Amendment to the Constitution protects freedom of speech and the Fourth Amendment protects against warrantless searches and seizures.
Critics of the bill argue that it violates both of those protected rights. Despite reservations by some, the bill has already gotten the president's signature and is now law.
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In a curious case of weird timing, the FAA authorized DJI and eight other organizations to get virtually immediate authorizations to fly in controlled airspace, like that which surrounds airports.
Normally a process that takes up 90 days to approve, these companies can now be approved almost immediately, opening the door for more frequent drone flights near airports and other controlled airspace.
While the vast majority of pilots control their drones safely and responsibly, one can't help but think of the many close calls between drones and airplanes at the hands of pilots that clearly aren't concerned about safety.
Given Congress' recent action authorizing shooting down drones, it seems to me that with the likelihood of more drone flights in controlled airspace, we might see authorities shooting down drones sooner rather than later.
Via Fstoppers