# Have any private citizens made an armed UAV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679 "2015-02-03T04:41:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/1 "2015-02-03T04:41:39Z")
For sake of the discussion, let’s set the boundary at something that can reliably kill a person, say, 9mm or so. Is there anyone out there hunting coyotes or pigs with a UAV? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/2 "2015-02-03T08:21:13Z")
Well, it’s not exactly a Predator, but there’s this old chestnut—a [(large-ish) remote controlled helicopter armed with an AA-12 automatic shotgun.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYz_D89BLUg) Aha! It looks like they even make an [updated, commercial version](http://www.autocopter.us/Gunship.htm). ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/3 "2015-02-03T17:28:08Z")
I would be amazed if someone, somewhere, had not done this. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/4 "2015-02-04T15:32:51Z")
Oh yes… [this guy has](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPJMk2fgJU&noredirect=1). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/5 "2015-02-04T15:45:23Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > Oh yes… [this guy has](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPJMk2fgJU&noredirect=1). Fake. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/6 "2015-02-04T16:01:20Z")
There’s the [Roman candle drone,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL0zLHLMBVw) which fits a certain definition of “armed;” it may not kill you, but it’ll burn you pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/7 "2015-02-04T17:45:00Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > For sake of the discussion, let’s set the boundary at something that can reliably kill a person, say, 9mm or so. > > Is there anyone out there hunting coyotes or pigs with a UAV? Hunting animals from the air is illegal in most states. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/8 "2015-02-04T18:29:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Hunting animals from the air is illegal in most states. [But not all states.](http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001673495/1154323378_palinanderson_xlarge.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/9 "2015-02-04T18:58:58Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > For sake of the discussion, let’s set the boundary at something that can reliably kill a person, say, 9mm or so. > > Is there anyone out there hunting coyotes or pigs with a UAV? Big time NO NO. If they did, I doubt they would tell anyone. Especially if it had machine gun capabilities and that would be needed IMO. Semi-auto would work better with an gunner doing hand held and is much cheaper and easier to hide and not sitting there displaying the NO NO you have committed and if you can afford a helicopter you probably also have lawyers on full time to tell you what a bad idea it is. YMMV 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/10 "2015-02-04T19:11:55Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Well, it’s not exactly a Predator, but there’s this old chestnut—a [(large-ish) remote controlled helicopter armed with an AA-12 automatic shotgun.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYz_D89BLUg) > > Aha! It looks like they even make an [updated, commercial version](http://www.autocopter.us/Gunship.htm). By the same token, Israel Aerospace, General Atomics, Boeing, and Lockheed are those of private citizens (as are most of these 391 companies). You can better ones and cheaper too. Nice 2013 Congressional Research Service PDF on the industry. It seems like OP meant “private citizens who use them” in certain circumstances, and if they can get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/11 "2015-02-04T19:19:41Z")
I seem to recall that there are already laws that prevent civilians from mounting functioning guns on historical aircraft (like P51 Mustangs). Wouldn’t these apply to drones? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/12 "2015-02-14T04:08:57Z")
Found this tactical UAV industry guidejust now. Hovercraft–the more likely platform now for do-it-yourselfeds–is another page there. Just so you know. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-private-citizens-made-an-armed-uav/711679/13 "2015-02-14T04:17:16Z")
Before Red Jacket firearms went off the air they had a quad with a remotely fired 9mm pistol on board. But it only fired straight down.