This happened last month, but I recently interviewed the drone pilot in Tennessee who had his drone shot down by his neighbor on Easter Sunday. I talked to both the pilot and a drone attorney about the whole incident. The attorney had some interesting insight into the case, saying he doesn't believe it's a federal crime to shoot at a drone (he cites that the legalese is worded to include manned aircraft but not drones).

I'm curious to see/hear what other pilots think. I'm not sure I'd handle it very well if someone shot down my drone...

From what I have heard and read (I cannot cite any of this - its just a blurb I heard in my memory) it is a federal offense to shoot at ANY aircraft..

+1

14 CFR 1.1, General Definitions:  "Aircraft. A device that is used or intended to be used for flight in the air."

FAA quote regarding firing on unmanned aircraft: "...hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air. Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in criminal or civil liability, just as would firing at a manned airplane."

Regards,

Mike

  'Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result'

The word could is somewhat troublesome here...