Is It OK to Shoot Down Your Neighbor’s Drone?
More seriously what we see is police and firefighters are powerless to interfere with the drone. All they can do is get after the operator. This could easily be too late in lifeflight or critical water drop can’t happen. We can’t have mid air collisions.
And no you can’t use you garden hose or super soaker either, all that does is avoid gun charges. You still would have broken federal law.
Under the Law, You Just Shot at an Airplane
Since when did a flying, remote-controlled robot become a legally binding “aircraft”? Not that long ago—only last November, as a matter of fact. In 2011, a photographer named Raphael Pirker shot a commercial at the University of Virginia with one of his drones. The FAA decided to fine him because he’d flown his hobbyist drone way too low, close to buildings, cars, and pedestrians. A legal battle ensued, and ultimately the National Transportation Safety Board ruled in November that drones are considered aircrafts, and are subject to FAA regulations.
Recently, people have continued to take literal aim at drones. Last September, a New Jersey man was arrested after shooting down a neighbor’s drone. Just last month, a viral video showed a firefighter spraying a drone with a firehose. Another man had to pay $850 after shooting down his neighbor’s UAV.
FAA spokesperson Laura Brown told Gizmodo: “We do consider unmanned aircraft to be ‘aircraft,’ but the damage issue is more a destruction of personal property question that is outside our jurisdiction.” The Department of Justice didn’t respond for a comment for this story.
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UPDATE
Here we go, HT Petapixel
California Bill Allows Firefighters to Knock Drones Out of the Sky
petapixel.com