AUVSI Rejects Calls for Unlawful Destruction of Unmanned Aerial Systems

Today, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) released the following statement from President & CEO Michael Toscano in response to recent depictions in the media that put the unlawful destruction of unmanned aerial systems in a positive light:

“To advocate for people to shoot down any object from U.S. airspace is irresponsible, dangerous and unlawful. Unmanned aerial systems are being designed to serve the public good, such as helping search and rescue officers find missing children, monitor weather and wildlife, provide disaster relief and respond to emergencies, as they did in the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan last year. The myriad of important uses will be imperiled if they become targets. Meanwhile, the suggestion that Americans take up arms against unmanned aircraft also endangers citizens on the ground.

“AUVSI welcomes civil discussions about privacy and the proper uses of unmanned aircraft, but it cannot and does not condone violence against technology intended to keep citizens safe while saving taxpayer dollars.”

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer recently stated that unmanned aircraft should be banned entirely in the United States, and said that “I would predict — I’m not encouraging, but I would predict, the first guy who uses a Second Amendment weapon to bring down a drone that’s hovering over his house is gonna be a folk hero in this country.”
 
The NBC television show “Harry’s Law” also recently portrayed its main character shooting down a “drone” in just such a situation.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) - the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems – represents 7,000 members from 55 allied countries and 2,500 organizations involved in the fields of government, industry and academia. www.auvsi.org