Florida could soon let homeowners shoot down drones over their property

midian182

midian182

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WTF?! We've seen stories of people shooting down drones in the past – and usually facing legal consequences for their actions. But Florida could introduce a law that would allow someone to blast a drone out of the sky if it strays over their property.

Bill SB1422, which is currently making its way through the Florida Senate, seeks to expand the definition of no-fly-zone restrictions on unmanned aircraft systems. These areas currently cover the likes of prisons and airports, but the bill seeks to add residential homes.

Under the bill, homeowners will be permitted to use "reasonable force" to prevent a drone from violating their expectation of privacy.

The bill specifies that the drone must be flying under 500 feet over someone's property before they are allowed to take action against it.

There's no definition of what reasonable force entails, but considering it's a drone flying several hundred feet in the air, it's pretty obvious what most people's favorite deterrent method will be.

However, Florida's potential law appears to conflict with federal law. Under FAA guidelines, drones are considered aircraft, so shooting one down could lead to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to a quarter of a million dollars, even if one is hovering over your backyard.

Even Florida's own current laws could be a problem. The state prohibits the firing of a gun in a residential neighborhood unless the resident is defending their life or property or engaging in lawful hunting. It's hard to imagine drones being a threat to life or property.

Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo warned during a committee hearing last week that people shouldn't start stocking up on ammo and sniper rifles. "There was mention that 'reasonable force' might include shooting it down […] But I don't want anyone under the notion that they can go and just shoot things down from the air, which is actually punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison."

Florida already prohibits drone owners from using the devices to take photos or videos of private property, citing a person's right to privacy, though there is nothing in the statute about using a live feed.

The bill has already made its way through several committees and is set for a vote by the full senate. Should it pass, the law could come into effect as early as October this year.

Last July, a 72-year-old man was arrested in Florida after he admitted to shooting down a Walmart delivery drone. He told officers that he had prior experience with drones and believed that the UAV was surveilling him. In an impressive display of marksmanship, he struck the drone with a shot from his 9mm pistol as it hovered about 75 feet above the ground.

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Florida could soon let homeowners shoot down drones over their property

 
My greater concern would be a matter of public safety... the 72 yr old "sharpshooter" example is at best a best case scenario; most people are not too terribly accurate at 25 feet let alone 75 (or farther) feet, and as a consequence any projectile shot into the sky has to come down somewhere. The chances of a projectile coming down at speed and damaging property or a harming a living being is low but not zero, especially if in a densely populated area.

edit: this is just a general take on the matter, specific to Florida well... Florida be Florida.
 
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madboyv1 said:
My greater concern would be a matter of public safety... the 72 yr old "sharpshooter" example is at best a best case scenario; most people are not too terribly accurate at 25 feet let alone 75 (or farther) feet, and as a consequence any projectile shot into the sky has to come down somewhere. The chances of a projectile coming down at speed and damaging property or a harming a living being is low but not zero, especially if in a densely populated area.

edit: this is just a general take on the matter, specific to Florida well... Florida be Florida.
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Indeed. Even if it hits the drone, the projectile isn't necessarily captured by it, and the drone could easily fall onto someone else's property (or person).

Jamming seems like a safer bet, but that comes with many of its own problems.

Maybe training a falcon to go after it is the best way. https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-falcons-drones-research/
 
I get why people want a law like this. Nobody likes some jerk hovering a drone over their house and snooping. But handing every random Joe Schmoe bystander the right to use “reasonable force” on any drone flying under 500 feet is a disaster waiting to happen. Picture the fallout: people firing a gun into the sky not knowing where the bullet will land or smashing $1,000-plus gear just because it drifted a little too close. That’s like saying you can smash someone’s car if they nudge a tire onto your lawn. How ridiculous would that be. I do realize that there are other laws that are in place to keep morons from firing guns into the air. However, we already have trained professionals called police to deal with these type of invasion of privacy situations.
 
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human7 said:
Since when are drones not tech? News covering policies impacting tech are certainly fair game here.
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I don't agree. There is a threshold, and this is not even close. Maybe if the law were passing, but it's not. This article is useless.
 
The obvious solution is to simply ban drones unless they are flying over your own property. To use them anywhere else should require a permit.
 
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axiomatic13 said:
This will never be allowed. When they inevitably miss, where will that round come down? In to a school yard, maybe a hospital?
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I saw a video a while ago about what happens when you shoot in the air. Shooting straight up is safe because of the weight of the bullet and it's low terminal velocity, while shooting at an angle will keep velocity for longer and do harm to those you described.
 
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Florida: the only place where you might get a sunburn, see an alligator on your lawn, and witness someone taking potshots at a drone—all before lunch.
 
I've been licensed for 5 years. I don't fly over private property. If I'm in a residential area, I keep my UAV over a road (without moving vehicles obviously). Problem with UAV's is anything under 250 grams you don't have to have a license. Anything over, requires registration, but still no real "license" required.
It ticks me off when I see people operating these things in careless manors, because it gives everyone a bad name.
 
So if the State permits you to shoot down a drone, but the Feds say no, can the drone operator turn you in to the Feds since a drone is considered as an aircraft by the FAA? And If the drone operator calls the police and files a complaint, then I would think the police will have to turn over the report to the Feds if they request it. So the shooter is still not off the hook if he has to face Federal Court and will now need to get a Federal Lawyer. Decisions, decisions...
 
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p51d007 said:
I've been licensed for 5 years. I don't fly over private property. If I'm in a residential area, I keep my UAV over a road (without moving vehicles obviously). Problem with UAV's is anything under 250 grams you don't have to have a license. Anything over, requires registration, but still no real "license" required.
It ticks me off when I see people operating these things in careless manors, because it gives everyone a bad name.
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Perhaps I should not do this, but talk about careless! You should doublecheck your post, instead of using 'manors' rather than 'manners.' :D
 
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