What to do About Drones

Buy Chuck Palm

December 19, 2024  1:52 PM EST

Drones seem to be popping up everywhere.  Quite literally, they have stealthy, scary spycraft abilities, and can follow a car, a chopper, or your kids on their way to school.

Currently, in New Jersey, they have locked down the airspace, and instituted a drone ban in 22 critical infrastructure locations in New Jersey for at least a 30 day period.  So come late January 2025, hobby drones will once again be invading our air space, virtually indistinguishable from other UAVs that may have more nefarious missions, from either foreign or domestic sources.  So, what can you do about it?  Do you feel threatened by drones flying over your location, or your property?

Do you honestly think that paparazzi, certain 3-letter agencies, local law enforcement, or even pranksters always follow surveillance rules? What about those who are testing new tech, or are secretly developing new aerial hardware with fantastic abilities?  How can you be sure?  The short answer, you can’t, and there’s little you can legally do about it.  The law about private property ownership is pretty vague, I think intentionally, but, generally you only have “rights” of the airspace on your property to the tallest tree/structure/etc on your property. Also, by law, it is a federal crime to shoot at any aircraft (including drones) with possible fines up to $25,000, plus any damages. The FAA and other U.S. agencies have repeatedly said that the spike in drone sightings does not pose national security risks and that they appear to be mostly aircraft, stars or hobbyist drones.  Yeah, right.  A Florida man (of course) shot at and hit an Amazon delivery drone, and was arrested by deputies.  I can understand the frustration, but again, obey the law, or suffer the penalties.

People in NJ are currently shining lasers into aircraft they see, trying to disable a drone, or potentially even shoot them down, and could face serious federal charges, since lasers pointed at any aircraft is a Federal offence, and carries a hefty penalty, and is dangerous for pilots of legitimate aircraft and their passengers.  Rule of thumb, NEVER point a laser at any aircraft!

Just as a FYI, hobbyists are also supposed to follow strict FAA rules, and drone flights are prohibited up to 3,000 feet (914 m) before major U.S. sporting events in a three-mile radius of stadiums.  The U.S. Senate rejected a bid this week to fast-track legislation to expand U.S. government authority to detect and destroy drones that could pose security threats over stadiums and other locations.  The senators who proposed the bill said it “explicitly authorizes state and local authorities to conduct drone detection and helps them better coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies to keep communities safe.”Congress in 2018 expanded the power of the Justice Department and Homeland Security to disable or destroy threatening drones, but officials say they need new authority.

Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked the request saying the bill would grant the government sweeping authority to conduct broad surveillance and Congress should not rush to legislate.  The bill was shot down, pun intended.

Senator Rand Paul also said “It’s about unchecked government overreach. It’s about capitalizing on fear and media-driven hysteria” that could violate the civil liberties of Americans.  He’s not wrong, but we are still left with few options.

In a world where $100 hobby drones are being weaponized and used in the battlefield to conduct kamikaze-style bombing runs deep into Russian territory, it makes one wonder if these kinds of attacks could be coming to our shores.  It’s not a big leap, since we currently have NO SYSTEM to distinguish friend from foe, in civilian airspace, and executive protection becomes more difficult, when you now have to guard from air attacks as well.

I believe you have a right, and a duty, to protect yourself, your family, and your property.  It can be very difficult to identify threats, especially from 400 feet in the air, but that does not mean you are defenseless.  Blue Lotus can advise you on how to protect your rights, or keep your airspace safe.  Call or email today to discuss your options, and remember, don’t take the law into your own hands!

Stay Safe,

Chuck