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The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 regulates airline seat sizes and allows authorities to shoot down drones without obtaining a warrant:
Despite objection, Congress passes bill that lets U.S. authorities shoot down private
U.S. authorities will soon have the authority to shoot down private drones if they are considered a threat — a move decried by civil liberties and rights groups. [...] [Critics] say the new authority that gives the government the right to "disrupt," "exercise control," or "seize or otherwise confiscate" drones that's deemed a "credible threat" is dangerous and doesn't include enough safeguards.
Federal authorities would not need to first obtain a warrant, which rights groups say that authority could be easily abused, making it possible for Homeland Security and the Justice Department and its various law enforcement and immigration agencies to shoot down anyone's drone for any justifiable reason.
Also at CBS and Aero News Network.
See also: New FAA Rules for Drones Go Into Effect
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ikanreed on Monday October 15 2018, @02:50PM (7 children)
I don't know if that's where it'll head.
It'll definitely head to destroying hundreds of "suspicious" hobbyist drones, and zero actually dangerous drones.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Monday October 15 2018, @04:13PM
I think the request came from firefighters who had to dodge when idiots don't realize that their drone taping flames is in the way of the tanker plane or helicopter.
Will it be abused? Most likely. But I won't cry when a cop shoots down those particular idiots.
In most cases involving drones actually endangering people by being at the wrong place, filling a form for a warrant takes longer than the drone has autonomy and requires taking your eyes off. It's not unreasonable to remove that burden, but having a clause about bodycam filming the threat would have been a decent safeguard.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by linkdude64 on Monday October 15 2018, @04:52PM (5 children)
I can envision them shooting down "harmless" drones that are filming police protests from the air.
...and I am also envisioning that in 100% of those cases, the independent "sovereign" reporters will be flying those drones above the heads of innocent unaware protestors, and that at any moment something could go wrong with the drone and it could fall from 100' in the air and knock someone unconscious or worse.
I'm a second amendment guy, but I don't think it should be legal to shoot guns into the air, either.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RS3 on Monday October 15 2018, @06:03PM (2 children)
> I'm a second amendment guy, but I don't think it should be legal to shoot guns into the air, either.
My thoughts exactly. And it is not legal to fire bullets into the air. I remember a few years ago someone being killed by a falling bullet which was fired into the air for a 4th of July, or New Years event. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire [wikipedia.org]
I know it's rare, but why endanger people? I'm not okay with "collateral damage".
This isn't the one I remember, but: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-falling-bullet-death-st-0710-20170709-story.html [chicagotribune.com]
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 16 2018, @05:56PM (1 child)
For a drone you would want a shot-gun anyway, and BBs aren't coming down with lethal force.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday October 16 2018, @09:24PM
Okay, makes good sense, thanks. Maybe a .410? I'm not really a gun person but I know some. Right now I can here the distant gunshot sounds from a local skeet shooting range.
(Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Tuesday October 16 2018, @12:46AM (1 child)
Maybe use potential falling drone victims that illicit more sympathy?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Tuesday October 16 2018, @10:11PM
Entry-level CIA Op idea for any acolytes reading in: Hire a few crisis actors to get killed by falling drones and push the shoot-down legislation through your local Congresscritter via blackmail on them bought from the Chinese, who used NSA tools to obtain it.