# Drones interfering with fire fighters? How can this be legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546 "2015-07-18T20:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546/21 "2015-07-18T22:15:50Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > If a drone is over your property or observing your private space, I don’t believe there are any consequences to… disabling it. IANAL etc. but I’d like to see the court case where some fan-boy tries to sue you for whacking his toy with a pool scoop, or whatever. We had a thread on this. It’s technically a felony. Sure, it’s virtually certain to not end up that way - but if the Feds were on your ass for something else they thought you were involved in, but couldn’t prove it, they would go after you. Reminds me of the case of a mafia lawyer who’s accountant made some errors on his taxes. They sent him to prison until he died over it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546/22 "2015-07-18T22:20:49Z")
What we need is a couple of the people who lost cars in the fire suing the drone operators for their loss. I’m sure the insurance companies would gladly supply the legal muscle. Toss in treble punitive damages and that will stop drone flights real fast. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546/23 "2015-07-18T22:27:31Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > How is this even possibly legal? It’s not. > [@](#): > > Do we need new laws to forbid this? Don’t we have existing laws against interfering with police or fire fighters or other emergency responders? And if so, aren’t the existing laws sufficient to cover these kinds of cases? Or, in the specific circumstances of _aerial_ interference, is this something that only Federal law or the FAA can regulate? If that’s so, do we need new Federal laws here? No, we don’t need new laws, there are already laws about interfering in an emergency, they just need to be enforced and/or possibly tweaked. It’s largely FAA/Federal jurisdiction, although there may be additional, more local regulations as well. > [@Senegoid](#): > > In the specific circumstance of _aerial_ firefighting, does Federal aviation law [del]trump[/del] supersede any state law? Is that an area that only Congress or FAA can regulate? > > And if so, is there in fact Federal law or FAA regulation to cover this kind of activity? Federal law trumps state law. As I said, there may be local regulations on top of the FAA’s, but the FAA rules the air. And yes, there are already laws regarding TFR’s and emergency operations. > [@Senegoid](#): > > ETA: And anyway, is the media allowed to get in to do their reporting, when it interferes with the emergency activities? Not when it interferes, no. They have to adhere to the rules of any TFR’s issued, meaning they’ll have to report from outside it or get special permission to be inside it, and certainly stay clear of any emergency vehicles and operations. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546/24 "2015-07-18T22:42:27Z")
The world is full of fucking stupid people. :smack: Technology is allowing them to blossom. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546/25 "2015-07-18T22:51:22Z")
This message board, for example. All it takes is a stroll through GD or The Pit to prove **Gato** ’s point. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![bb49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@bb49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bb49)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546/26 "2015-07-20T00:17:30Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I think it should be legal and without consequence to fire anything that isn’t considered a firearm at drones. Or any other method of knocking them out of the air. > > Let em take their chances. My thoughts exactly. We have an annoying drone in our neighbourhood, so I purchased a slingshot, and a neighbour has a potato gun. One of these days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-interfering-with-fire-fighters-how-can-this-be-legal/725546.md?page=1)