Drone shot down...

[donj91711]

Man takes drone out for a sunset flight, drone gets shot down

 

[rydfree]

You have to admit it was a good freaking shot .

 

[newnan3]

Funny that authorities arent prosecuting drone shooters when theyre able to find them....

 

[samd012]

It amazes me how shooting a firearm into the air around homes is not considered a crime, its not like target shooting on your property in a safe manner. Just like everything else it is a matter of time before something bad happens and we will pay the price. On the flip side if you are hovering low over someones property in a stalking manner I would get agitated too having three daughters.
Here is food for though, someone hits a drone with a firearm and it causes the drone to fall and do damage, who is responsible.

 

[Mister Lee]

Shooting in the air is very dumb and dangerous; what goes up must come down.

 

[zpdana]

I agree wholeheartedly with the fact that if one is caught shooting a drone down in a heavily populated area be it a neighborhood, etc..they should be charged with discharging a firearm in public, unlawful use of a firearm, or one of the other charges associated with it. I do understand if a drone is hovering really close near your windows, in your yard, kinda obvious private spaces, I would be highly agitated but with how police are in my town, I wouldn't shoot it down. I'd want to follow it. I'd want to shoot it down, but I don't think I would. If I had kids or a wife I would probably shoot the **** out of it though, I mean I do live in Mississippi haha!

 

[rightstuffed]

It amazes me how shooting a firearm into the air around homes is not considered a crime, its not like target shooting on your property in a safe manner. Just like everything else it is a matter of time before something bad happens and we will pay the price. On the flip side if you are hovering low over someones property in a stalking manner I would get agitated too having three daughters.
Here is food for though, someone hits a drone with a firearm and it causes the drone to fall and do damage, who is responsible.

Ask OJ. All depends on what can be PROVED. I see a lot of emotions come out of these kind of threads but logic will always still apply.

 

[HiVac]

The operator "claims" he never flew over the shooters property. He said he has flight logs to prove it...... it was also mentioned he was flying down the middle of the neighborhood street and his grandmother house....

 

[zpdana]

Flight logs. Priceless. Gotta have proof and I hope this guy really does have his flight log for that particular flight.

 

[Zoso]

Honestly if your going to fly in a populated neighbourhood or area then you are at risk . It is what it is !
Still sorry about your lose .

 

[Mickeyboo]

The FAA will prosecute not local authorities. They brought proceedings against police in the Dakotas when protesters were using drones which the police shot down...

 

[4wd]

The problem in this case is the likely suspect said #didnduit and they couldn't prove anything since all they have is an inspire with a hole through one motor.
Since it didn't fall on his land it probably wasn't over it anyway - so maybe he didn't shoot it.
Not hard to imagine in an area with lots of shooters any group might 'playfully' take a shot at it without thinking what happens next if they actually hit it.

MInd I think flying a large noisy drone almost daily anywhere is not a very wise thing to do, even if nobody complains directly.

 

[HyruleJedi86]

These stories drive me crazy. Personally I see no excuse for ever firing a gun in the air like this, out in the middle of nowhere or where it's clearly safe sure. I shoot at my in-laws where its safe, so I understand the desire to use a gun but it's still irresponsible in this particular situation. I think that any firearm discharged at a drone no matter where it is should automatically be a chargeable offense. I don't care if you don't like the drone or think someone's spying on you, it's too dangerous of a president to set that it's OK to do so. It's easy to miss and then where do the bullets or shot go?
That doesn't excuse poor judgement on the operators part though, we need to do our part and be responsible drone owners, not saying the guy in the article did anything wrong just a generality.

 

[erkme73]

These stories drive me crazy. Personally I see no excuse for ever firing a gun in the air like this, out in the middle of nowhere or where it's clearly safe sure...

I would contend that such a situation simply doesn't exist. On a boat? Maybe, but if you're on land, unless you have the power of omniscience, there is simply no way to know if anyone else is within range. Take this story, for example. 7 yo was killed by someone shooting a .40 caliber round into the air on 4th of July. Forensically, they calculated the shot could have come from anywhere within a 1 MILE radius of where he was struck.

I have vacation property another 50 miles west of where this TN shoot-down happened. The property overlooks thousands of acres of cliffs and woodlands on the Cumberland Plateau. Even there I would never shoot above the horizon, as you never know who may be out there. Hunters? Loggers? Boy scout camping trip? Gives me nightmares just thinking about the potential liability.

 

[Michael Ainsworth]

Brings up the subject of invasion of privacy. Really?
How much information has the Gov and indeed individuals able to get from the Internet, Face Book, Instagram,Google Earth etc.
I can find info on just about anyone who has Internet connection or any one who has ever done a transaction on line.
This sort of behaviour is probably more out of frustration against "Authority" than just an individual. It's easier to fight an individual than the Government.
Sign of the times where people feel enough is enough?

 

[HyruleJedi86]

I would contend that such a situation simply doesn't exist. On a boat? Maybe, but if you're on land, unless you have the power of omniscience, there is simply no way to know if anyone else is within range. Take this story, for example. 7 yo was killed by someone shooting a .40 caliber round into the air on 4th of July. Forensically, they calculated the shot could have come from anywhere within a 1 MILE radius of where he was struck.

I have vacation property another 50 miles west of where this TN shoot-down happened. The property overlooks thousands of acres of cliffs and woodlands on the Cumberland Plateau. Even there I would never shoot above the horizon, as you never know who may be out there. Hunters? Loggers? Boy scout camping trip? Gives me nightmares just thinking about the potential liability.

That's a good point, I should have been clearer I meant a shotgun. It's range is much more limited and done safely all the time. Any handgun or rifle would never be safe to shoot in the air.

 

[Pedro]

I shoot at my in-laws where its safe.

Not sure it's ever safe to shoot at your in-laws..

 

[WEOTN]

FAA says shooting at any aircraft, including UAVs, is a federal offense.

 

[mark_t]

FAA says shooting at any aircraft, including UAVs, is a federal offense.

Saying it is one thing, actually following through with a prosecution seems to be eluding the FAA right now...

 

[Wombat55]

How easy is it to shoot down a Mavic flying at an altitude of 300 feet? I did a quick google search and found a mention of the effective range of a shotgun with steel shot being about 50 yards, or 150 feet, which would seem to mean that a Mavic zooming by at 300 feet would be safe. Or are these drones that are being shot down flying at lower altitudes?

Another issue is detection. I don't think that the motors and props of my Mavic are easy to hear when it's way up at an altitude of 300 feet. Unless someone is actively scanning the sky, I think that a Mavic at that altitude would usually zip by overhead unnoticed.