Oklahoma Senator Wants to Exempt People Who Shoot Down Drones From Liability

In the wake of a series of news articles about drone operators pushing the boundaries of privacy, State Senator Ralph Shortey(R) of Oklahoma has put forth a bill that exempts landowners who ‘damage drones that veer onto their property’.

Fox News reports that the bill has already passed unanimously out of the state Senate Judiciary Committee and is going to be voted on in the upper chamber in March.

The key factor in this legislation is it applies to drones that are not under FAA regulation, citing the FAA’s rule for drone flight.  It appears that Shortey’s intention is to give individuals the right to take down any small drone that is operating outside of the FAA’s rules.

As an example, “Small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons not directly participating in the operation”…so it should be okay to take these devices down without repercussions.

The FAA was quick to point out: “A private citizen shooting at any aircraft – including unmanned aircraft – poses a significant safety hazard,” the agency told Arstechnica.com. “An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air. Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges filed by federal, state or local law enforcement.”

Let us know what you think about his one.  Sources on this report include ABC, FoxNews and AP.