One Gun Owners Take-The Gun Drone Video
The temptation to call this guy an idiot and move on is strong. But large issues loom.
The first question is how can this be legal. Or how can it not be illegal? Well our system runs on the idea that an activity is legal until made otherwise. We don’t live in a place that holds all activities are illegal until made legal.
Notice the FAA literally rules the skies. Almost everything not attached to the ground or under a roof is their regulatory span. I have joked that if some monk ever achieves true levitation, he will get a letter from the FAA.
Most of you know I’m a gun owner. That I spent a decade with my wife in high speed handgun competition. That’s pointed out because we were all trained up in gun handling in athletic circumstances. Think run and gun. Sliding into cover and shooting. Job 1 was always keeping the gun pointed safely. If we dropped it we were disqualified for losing control of the gun. My wife broke a rib after slipping in the mud on the run keeping the gun hand pointed safely. She did the right thing.
I’m also an advocate for access to drone use for fun, photography and video. For commercial interests as simple as a farmer and his fields or as complex as supporting rescue operations. But I’m the first to admit we need a set of rules, and a willingness to be responsible. Drones made as toys, homebuilt or civilian are not even close to reliable enough to carry guns. Maybe not even to reliably deliver goods.
Just the accident risk alone makes this a no go. I don’t want to be anywhere near a drone with a gun. Drones crash. They get radio interference. If the battery fails will the gun be safe to approach? Control batteries are sometimes separate from motor batteries. Imagine a crashed drone and the gun keeps shooting? If it gets hacked and used to shoot a person or property what happens?
Of course another risk is deliberate terror or crime. Drones like anything else we have can be abused for that purpose. So let me just say this. The FAA and state authorities need to draft a law right now making any and all weapons illegal on drones. Make it a felony. If the gun is illegally possessed add more time if it’s mounted on a drone. Not even flown, just attached.
Because armed drones are one of the worst ideas ever. Top ten list.
You might see me push this on twitter or FB. If so please Like or retweet, support the idea if you can.
