CNN: Handgun-firing drone appears legal in video, but FAA, police probe further

[China]

Handgun-firing drone appears legal in video, but FAA, police probe further

 

(CNN) Video of a handgun fired from a hovering drone into a wooded area has been posted on YouTube -- where it has gone viral -- apparently by an 18-year-old Connecticut student whose father says his son created the drone for a college class.

 

No one was harmed, nor has the teenager been arrested or charged. Still, the video has stirred fresh debate about the use of, and dangers posed by, drones.

 

While armed unmanned aircraft have long been in the government's arsenal in targeting terrorists in distant lands, the idea of someone being able to fire bullets or other dangerous projectiles on a remote controlled flying object over the United States is something else entirely.

 

The gun drone in Connecticut appears to have been fired on private property and -- so far, authorities said -- it did not appear any laws were broken. There were no complaints from neighbors until after the "Flying Gun" video went viral with almost 2 million views as of Tuesday, authorities said.

"It appears to be a case of technology surpassing current legislation," police in Clinton, Connecticut, said.

 

Nevertheless, authorities said they are investigating whether any laws or regulations could have been broken when the handgun drone fired four shots on the wooded grounds of the 18-year-old student's residence in Clinton, authorities said.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

[Corcaigh]

Surprised how little recoil there is in a hovering drone.

[TheGoodBits]

If the government can have them then why not citizens? It's what the founders intended. 2nd amendment FTW.

Drones don't kill people, governments kill people. And thugs. Gotta protect against the thugs.

[Bang]

Yay. Nothing bad can happen.

 

the potential for home defense and the amazing cool factor with your friends means this should all be totally legal.

After all, the founders definitely intended we should be able to fly around our own anonymous weapons platforms.

 

you know.. to stop tyranny and all.

 

~Bang

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

There is a whole line of court cases on how spring-loaded guns are an illegal means of protecting private property.

 

That's just where my mind went - not a real point.

[ExoDus84]

If the government can have them then why not citizens? It's what the founders intended. 2nd amendment FTW.

Drones don't kill people, governments kill people. And thugs. Gotta protect against the thugs.

 

The government uses drones to save the lives of serving infantrymen, while fighting terrorism. They aren't some yokel in the Alabama backwoods attaching a pistol to a hovercraft and flying it wherever he wants.

[TheGoodBits]

The government uses drones to save the lives of serving infantrymen, while fighting terrorism. They aren't some yokel in the Alabama backwoods attaching a pistol to a hovercraft and flying it wherever he wants.

But what if FEMA decides to use pistol drones to help round people up into their camps? Do the citizens not have a right to defend against that?

[Corcaigh]

New TV series for Discovery Channel ...

 

Redneck Flying Robot Wars. Teams take a basic drone and then have 30 minutes to arm it with random items found in the typical Alabama or New England pick up truck.

 

To make it edgy and terrorize the good citizens of this great nation have a competiton specifically for Muslims. 

[ExoDus84]

But what if FEMA decides to use pistol drones to help round people up into their camps? Do the citizens not have a right to defend against that?

 

The quick will survive. Those drones can't rotate very quickly. Fat kids be having a tough time surviving, though.

[Corcaigh]

The quick will survive. Those drones can't rotate very quickly. Fat kids be having a tough time surviving, though.

 

Given the advanced technology involved, the drones could have a 'taunt mode' where they play amusing tuba sounds to terrroize the fat person, prior to switching to kill mode and shooting them.

 

[TheGoodBits]

The quick will survive. Those drones can't rotate very quickly. Fat kids be having a tough time surviving, though.

Thank god the fat kids have the 2nd amendment so they don't have to be able to run.

I think I just described West VA, Kentucky, and Tennessee in fair general but accurate terms. Zoony, please confirm.

[Corcaigh]

Thank god the fat kids have the 2nd amendment so they don't have to be able to run.

I think I just described West VA, Kentucky, and Tennessee in fair general but accurate terms. Zoony, please confirm.

 

I'll save Zoony the trouble of responding that the video was posted by a northern New England Redneck, not someone from his primitive backwoods.

[Bang]

Yup, thet wuz one o' them thar "college boys" up in his fancy pants unee-vers-itee.

 

~Dang

[Riggo-toni]

The only way to stop a bad drone with a gun is a good drone with a gun.

[Springfield]

One of my 2nd amendment loving coworkers is talking about how illegal this is.

Interesting.

[Bang]

Drones with Guns..    otherwise known as the NRA national convention.

 

 

~Bang

[grego]

 

"you can have my drone when you pry it from my cold, dead hand!"

[sacase]

Not sure what the big deal is. Legal gun, fired on private property. No jurisdiction. Why do we need to research to see if laws are being broken. That is the problem here not the drone firing the gun.

[Mad Mike]

The worst thing here is the copycats that are sure to follow some with bad intent. I can imagine a time not far from now where seeing a small drone starts a real panic.

[Slateman]

Surprised how little recoil there is in a hovering drone.

 

See, I was thinking that that seemed like a lot of movement.

Yay. Nothing bad can happen.

 

the potential for home defense and the amazing cool factor with your friends means this should all be totally legal.

After all, the founders definitely intended we should be able to fly around our own anonymous weapons platforms.

 

you know.. to stop tyranny and all.

 

~Bang

And what exactly should be illegal? Should you not be allowed to discharge a firearm on your secluded property? Should you not be allowed to put it on a drown you legally own and operate?

 

Not sure what the big deal is. Legal gun, fired on private property. No jurisdiction. Why do we need to research to see if laws are being broken. That is the problem here not the drone firing the gun.

Exactly.

[daveakl]

I am terrified.  How far are we away from this:

 

[MisterPinstripe]

I for one am excited for a new version of Robot Wars.

[Bang]

See, I was thinking that that seemed like a lot of movement.

And what exactly should be illegal? Should you not be allowed to discharge a firearm on your secluded property? Should you not be allowed to put it on a drown you legally own and operate?

 

Exactly.

 

 

Right, lets make a bunch of arguments that pretend there's nothing that can happen bad from this.

 

Pointless conversation.

ESPECIALLY since the word "illegal" doesn't show up anywhere in any post I have made on this thread til now.

Not once. 

 

Maybe y'all don't understand that the thing about this that is dangerous is NOT the law abiding college kid on his own property.

what he's done isn't causing uproar over what he did in the woods. It's what he showed can be done in a stadium, or a city street or a school, or workplace,, or anywhere.

(and NOW no worry about a quick suicide to escape prosecution. No one knows where you are to begin with. Convenience AND security. Just what every psycho is looking for.)

 

As the gun crowd is happy to tell us, criminals don't pay attention to the law.

and frankly, I can absolutely see why none of them would ever think that something like this would help them commit mayhem.

Maybe we can make some "flying remote controlled gun free zones".

Some nutjob can just as easily mount a knife to a drone and blah blah blah blah blah.

 

But since you believe i already said so,, i may as well answer the question.. what should be illegal?

putting a gun on a remote controlled vehicle and firing it from anything but your own hand.

How's that for starters? No list, no restriction, no background tightening,, just no modifications to or accessories for the weapon that allow you to fire it from a remote location.

 

So yes, you should not be able to put it on a drone you legally own and can operate.

Same way i can't mount machine guns to my car, even if i just drive it around my property.

 

Note, no weapon restriction mentioned. At all.

 

 

~Bang

[Slateman]

Why should that be illegal? You said it yourself, the thing that makes this dangerous is the person, not objects.

 

And you can legally mount machine guns on your car and drive it around your property, so long as you legally own said machine guns and it is legal to open carry a rifle on private property in your area.

[Mad Mike]

And what exactly should be illegal? Should you not be allowed to discharge a firearm on your secluded property? Should you not be allowed to put it on a drown you legally own and operate?

 

 

No. 

 

A) its reckless and dangerous.

define secluded. 

C) a few years from now when drones are flying everywhere how do you know which ones are armed and which are delivering pizza?