Remember this awesome video of the student that attached a semiauto handgun to the drone?
Yeah? Well we cant attache weapons to sUAS (small unmanned aircraft systems) aka drones. Guns, knives, fireworks, trebuchets. None of it. This is probably what triggered the entire event… no pun intended. At the time the video was published there were not any laws regarding weapons attached to drones. Actually, there werent very many laws pertaining to drones at all.
But like all things fun drones soon became regulated. Even hobbyist now have to register anything that weighs over 250g and you need a commercial license if you operate a drone for profit. (Part 107)
According to the FAA perhaps you’ve seen online photos and videos of drones with attached guns, bombs, fireworks, flamethrowers, and other dangerous items. Do not consider attaching any items such as these to a drone because operating a drone with such an item may result in significant harm to a person and to your bank account.
Operating a drone that has a dangerous weapon attached to it is a violation of Section 363 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act enacted Oct. 5, 2018. Operators are subject to civil penalties up to $25,000 for each violation, unless the operator has received specific authorization from the Administrator of the FAA to conduct the operation. “Dangerous Weapon” means any item that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury.
Additionally that same year it became a federal crime to shoot down any drone as they are now considered aircraft which has caused issues for law enforcement, first responders, and security professionals trying to remove a drone from the airspace so larger aircraft can continue operations.
The FAA considers unmanned aircraft of any size to be covered under Title 18 of the United States Code 32, which describes “sabotage to include destruction of any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.” Violation of this code carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years
This is why we cant have nice things….
