Sunday, July 21, 2013

Thousands of small, civilian drones are coming into use in the United States: Can someone just shoot them down?


Congress gave the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a United States government agency, until 2015 to safely integrate drones, or also called unmanned aircrafts, into the skies over the United States.
“FAA officials have estimated that once regulations are in place, thousands of drones will be in use across the country for a wide variety of purposes, from helping farmers figure out which crops need watering to tracking sea lions in remote rocky outcroppings to aiding search and rescue missions.”
The July 19, 2013, Associated Press report has some people who are concerned about their privacy asking whether those drones can just be shot down.

One small town in Colorado, Deer Trail (with about 600 residents), is working on a proposed ordinance when it comes to drones. A drone hunting permit would cost $25 and the town would give a reward of $100 for anyone who “presents a valid hunting license and identifiable pieces of a drone that has been shot down.”

"I don't want to live in a surveillance society. I don't feel like being in a virtual prison," says 48-year-old Phillip Steel who is the author of the drone-hunting proposal. "This is a pre-emptive strike."

As a pre-emptive counterstrike to anyone thinking about shooting down a drone, the FAA reminds people that while the land in the United States might be owned by people, the sky is owned by the United States government and that the FAA regulates the nation's airspace, including the airspace over cities and towns.

“People who fire guns at drones are endangering the public and property and could be prosecuted or fined, the Federal Aviation Administration warned Friday [July 19, 2013].”