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Senator Feinstein: 'It should be a crime for a private individual to arm a drone'

Senator Feinstein: 'It should be a crime for a private individual to arm a drone'

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uscapitol
uscapitol

In today's Senate drone hearing, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) got personal, describing a rally held outside her home earlier this year. "I went to the window to peek out, and there was a drone right there looking in. Obviously the drone's pilot was surprised, because the drone wheeled around and crashed," she told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. "What kind of camera was on the drone? What kind of microphone? Could an enterprising person have attached a firearm to it?"

The hearing mostly concerned with the FAA's roadmap for regulating civilian drone use, spurred on by Amazon's recent announcement of a drone delivery program. But Senator Feinstein used her time to specifically speak out specifically against the prospect of private citizens equipping drones with deadly force, potentially opening the door for a new legislative avenue regulating the unmanned crafts. "We should not allow armed drones in the United States, period," the Senator told the committee. "It should be a crime for a private individual to arm a drone."