Drone shooting: U.S. home-owner faces charges

a reply to: Chickensalad

Nah I think you're just fine. Everyone assumes. I wouldn't particularly care for a drone operating w/ a camera over my property, especially if this thing is 'buzzing' people or houses.

I wouldn't start shooting at it though. There's a price you pay for taking the law into your own hands.

a reply to: KingKelson

I'm fairly sure if it was a police or government drone the charges would be quite different. That's the way our government works today... nothing is more heinous (to them) as going against the State or damaging what belongs to the State.

The only charge this guy should reasonably face, is one for discharging a firearm where it is prohibited. Other than that he should suffer no consequences. At least IMHO.

a reply to: JohnTheSmith

I particularly like the hose idea.

If its close enough I think that's the way to go.

a reply to: Chickensalad

Have you seen the firemen hose video? A house was on fire and FD was attempting to hose it out, when a private drone (quad) that was flying around is taken out by the fire hose.

I think it may have been on ATS but i'm not positive.

www.youtube.com...

the op source said short barrel Bellini Shotgun.
there is only one of those i know and it is in the NFA/Class 3 of weapons. it's 14.5 in long. they also make a 18.5 in one so it could be longer.

dollars to donuts, it was a lot lower than 500 foot.
from the OP.

Three shots from his Benelli short-barrel shotgun took the craft out of the sky.

good rule of thumb 12ga bird shot to buck shot 45 to 80 yards effective range, slug or sabot 100 to 150 yards.
then you also got to think about the choke, full, modified, or bore.

Shoot them down with model rockets. You're not breaking the law, it makes the point that it's their fault for violating your airspace, and above all, YOU'VE UPGRADED FROM GUNS TO MISSILES AND IT ACTUALLY PUT THE LAW ON YOUR SIDE! How awesome is that?

a reply to: The Vagabond

That's still a violation of the National Association of Rocketry Model Rocket Code No. 8.

Anyway, it sounds like there were stupids on both sides.

I'm wondering if recording the drone doing what it is doing over your property and then approaching the police with the evidence would hold any consequences for the owner of the drone.

Personally if the drone was flying around filming my doors and windows, or my children, or my other half I would be fuming mad.

I'm not sure I would of fired a gun at it, but I would certainly be making a lot of effort to get rid of it.

originally posted by: KingKelson

Im extremely curious about your edit reasoning now.

Privacy violated? Fair game.

Get your own drone.

Start drone wars and have fun at the same time.

a reply to: KingKelson

high pressure water gun would have been a better alternative to a shotgun.

one thing we need to keep in mind. if we say it's okay for these guys to fly drones over someone's home then that automatically gives the government the okay to do the same. this case and others like it will set the table for how the laws regarding drones and drones with cameras will unfold.

The judge is probably going to rule more on the shotgun being fired vertically in a populated neighborhood, than the destruction of the drone, IMHO. You have no business flying machines into other people's yards, so what happens over there could be hazardous to your drone, as obvious.

Those rigid carbon fiber propellers on those things will just shatter if they hit a small pellet of lead , at 20k rpm.
I think that the loss of velocity of the shot at that height, would not be that big a problem.

Great thread, my friend! s&f

I think that if something trespasses on your property, you should have the right to dispose of it.

There's no difference between something like this and a peeping tom--but luckily in this case it's just a machine. So, I see no issue in shooting it down. I think that the home owner will be able to escape from this situation unscathed--legally-speaking. He only got charged because the people chose to press charges. The homeowner wasn't breaking any laws and I'd be surprised if he ended up getting convicted for anything.

We had a similar case like this in Michigan. The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) were flying drones over peoples property for some reason or another and the property owner shot down w DNR drones (expensive ones). The DNR tried to sue the property owner and in the end the judge sided with the property owner because the DNR did not have a warrant.

I'm toying with the idea of building a rapid fire .63 cal. paintball gun as an anti-drone device. I remember seeing the plans for a small LIDAR system on the internet some place. A paintball CIWS system might have a market.

a reply to: KingKelson

the opening of your OP made me made me geek out, good sir.

You ask ATS what it thinks--but what do you think, KingKelson-dono?

originally posted by: KingKelson
edit on 31-7-2015 by KingKelson because: SkyWendy conspiracy

LOL NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKIN' LINCOLN!!!