Can You Legally Shoot Down a Drone in Arizona?

There's been a lot of buzz lately about drones flying over delicate areas across the country, particularly places along the East Coast. With Arizona's sensitive military sites, there's been a lot of concern about "unknown" aerial drones and their origin.

Cochise County is no stranger to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as unmanned aircraft or drones. Much of the technology in use today was developed and tested on Fort Huachuca in Southeastern Arizona.

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In recent weeks, drones have been making regular appearances over New Jersey, Trump's Golf Course in New Jersey, a variety of military sites, and parts of Washington DC and New York. Speculation that the drones are coming from "offshore" locations like China or other factions has experts worried.

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Why Don't We Just Shoot the Drones Down?

Some have suggested we just blast the drones out of the sky and ask questions later. After all, they could pose a national security risk, the belief is we'd be doing everyone a favor.

If you've ever wondered if this is a good idea, well, the short answer is no.

Not only is it dangerous to shoot down a drone, but it's also illegal.

Arizona Law and Shooting Down Drones

Arizona law clearly states that it is "unlawful to operate or use an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to intentionally photograph or loiter over critical facilities in the furtherance of any criminal offense."

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Shooting down a drone could be seen as interfering with law enforcement or emergency services operations, which is a class 6 felony.

Shooting Down a Drone is Dangerous

It's strange to me that I would even need to write this.

Shooting down a drown - or anything - is dangerous. First, if you hit it and it crashes, there's no way to predict where it will land, and it could hurt someone or damage property.

Drones typically have onboard cameras, sensors, and sometimes even small payloads. A sudden crash could turn them into dangerous projectiles. If you miss, the bullets falling back to the earth are also a danger.

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Second, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has rules on operating small aircraft. If you believe someone is operating unmanned aircraft illegally or in a way that violates the rules, your best bet is to get in contact with the authorities and let them handle it.

Sources: Forbes | CNN | Army.mil | AZLeg | FAA | Wikipedia