This appears to be a stunt orchestrated by a Southern California man who is trying to raise money for an organic lemon business on Kickstarter; nevertheless, the footage is pretty cool to look at.
Larry Breaux of Valencia, California, shot down a drone a few weeks ago that was hovering around his house.
“I get an anonymous phone call on my answering machine, ‘Hey, get rid of your eyesore sign or you won’t have any privacy,’” Breaux told Inside Edition.
Beaux alleged that a neighbor was upset about a sign that advertises his lemon business, so the neighbor sent a drone over to harass and spy on him.
Inside Edition’s Jim Moret asked Breaux, “Do you believe that your neighbors are upset because you have that sign out there?”
“I believe one of them is,” he said.
But the footage compiled of the incident shows shots from a camera phone on the ground and the footage from the drone flying in the air, suggesting that Breaux had access to the drone at some point.
However, Breaux flatly denied that this was just a publicity stunt.
“All I can say is its a true story and I’ve got the raw video on my phone but not on the drone, and it’s just a freak thing that the chips survived,” said Breaux.
Jim Moret pressed, “You don’t own your own drone?”
“No, never have,” said Breaux.
“Just for the record, you did not shoot your own drone out of the sky?” Moret asked one more time.
“I did not shoot my own drone out of the sky,” Breaux said.
***
Yeah, Breaux is probably B.S.-ing. That said, how would you respond if a homeowner actually used a drone to spy on you?
When drones are outlawed, only outlaws will have drones…
I own two shotguns. If I see any drone near by place I’m going to blow it out of the sky. No exceptions.
UNREAL
What about Google earth sat photos of your property? Power up the missile launchers!!!
Am I the only one more bothered by the fact that this guy feels the need to crowd fund his farm than the fact that it might be fake?
Drone, Quad copter, Peeping Tom, Pervert, whatever you want to call it I say SHOOT IT.
This does raise some interesting questions. Yesterday Amazon requested that the FAA re-examine the flight rules regarding drones, as Amazon really wants to use drones to deliver packages. The specific rules they wish to be changed are that the drone must be within line of sight of the operator, and that drones cannot cross restricted airspace corridors (usually commercial airport landing/takeoff areas at the ends of the runways, that are FAA restricted from ground level to several thousand feet).
Amazon ships tens of thousands of packages daily in CONUS. If even 1% were delivered via drone, drones would quickly become as commonplace a sight in our private airspaces as automobiles are on the streets in front of our houses. Are we going to shoot them all down? Of course, any drone capable of being operated beyond line-of-sight will have cameras, and, since Snowden’s revelations, we’re aware that Amazon has quite a cozy relationship with the NSA. Will NSA computers view the camera footage of each Amazon drone delivery trip? I would bet they would try, under the umbrella of “National Security”. Just something to think about.
I think, honestly, regardless of whether or not it was staged, it does raise awareness of modern day privacy. He did warn the drone owner somewhat. If drone owners saw this they would know better than to spy on others now. It would be the owner’s decision on either losing their drone or be questioned by the authorities for invading another’s privacy. Simple as that.
PULL!
I live up in the mountains and there are a group of very annoying para gliders that come from out of the area and just hover and soar above my property. I get so tired of having these morons looking at me and my family if we are outside I would love to fly a drone into them to get them to find somewhere else to violate a persons property. A drone hovering above my place would be skeet practice. You shouldn’t have to deal with anyone watching you on your land, you pay for it and it should be free to enjoy.
You should look into some fireworks.
Assuming the story is true…. Good for him.
Yep, a product who’s time has come: “Drone Loads” for your 12 gauge!!
I agree with ‘Grant’ when he said ‘Thank God and our forefathers for the Fourth Amendment, and a Second Amendment to defend it and the rest of our Bill of Rights.’ BUT we have to change the mindset of many of us that would ‘trust Washington’ to look out for our freedoms and lifestyle here in the United States. ‘STAND AND FIGHT, DAMN IT!
Objects such as drones, or remotely controlled devices with microphones or cameras will be shot down if they violate my privacy or personal space anywhere in any way. I don’t care if I’m on my own property or not. When one comes buzzing around my head it’s going down. Lawfully or not. Then, if the person behind the drone wan’t to take it up with me, he can do so at his own risk as well. Just say no to drones!
Out to 75 yards, #4 buck in a 12-bore ought to get the job done on a drone invading your private air space. Beyond that, #00. At longer range, tracer .22 LR every-other round in a semi-auto should suffice. If it’s a Predator drone, you’ll never see it, and better hope it doesn’t see you if it is controlled by a tyrant. No technology has the right to invade the privacy of a law-abiding American citizen. Thank God and our forefathers for the Fourth Amendment, and a Second Amendment to defend it and the rest of our Bill of Rights.
You think it’s a “conspiracy” because “… Breaux had access to the drone at some point.” Gee, I guess, just maybe, he could have picked the damned thing up after he shot it! What kind of mental midget wrote this article?
There are already laws prohibiting tresspassing. I say the law should simply allow the home owner to defend their property, and that property should include both airspace and non-pass-through resources below ground! First we should see if laws are already in place, because laws don’t stop anything. They just define the rules of play.
Bang………Spyhawk down! Spyhawk down!
Regardless of who owns the drone or who sent it, one hovering over one’s home seems like a threat to me. A drone with only a camera violates the freedom of privacy. My concern is how far this type thing will go, before property owners’ rights are considered. Several years back in Roswell, NM, there were events that brought questions about unidentified aircraft or fly objects. If government agencies have classified aircraft flying in remote area, certainly they will not comment on sightings by the general public. However, if upset neighbors want to fly spy drones over another’s property, that is invasive.
A relatively small caliber weapons, that hits a Prop, control, or fuel source, will take out a drone.
Before missiles replaced cannon for Anti-aircraft defense, the military used ARCATS, small fixed wing aircraft that were used as targets for the guns. To save money, the radar controlling the guns was adjusted to have an error far enough to miss shooting down the ARCAT. When the rounds got close to this ARCAT, this was considered a hit for the guns and still spared the destruction of the ARCAT. Those, I have seen had a wing span of about 10 feet or less. Since those old days lighter materials and more precisely controlled systems have been developed. A drone is much faster than an individual can react, in a shoot down. Therefore a high powered drone with observation cameras can evade most efforts of small arms from the ground. Taking on a modern drone with even a high powered rifle is usually a joke. Those, who go into the hills, wait with a long gun, have aspirations far beyond their capabilities.
Yet sending drones over private property is an invasion of property rights, that should be prohibited by laws.
James
It’s a quad copter therefore slow flying and quite easy to take down for someone with trap, skeet or other wing shooting experience. Several people from the r.c. flying club next to our local range have found out the hard way that you don’t blindly fly your r.c. airplane across the shotgun range during trap season. And since there is a 20 ft berm between where they are supposed to be flying and the range, good luck on id’ing who pulled the trigger.
I’m not sure why the author is so convinced that this guy shot his own drone down since he had video taken from the drone. Would he not have access to the drone video after he shot it down?
If it is all legit then kudo’s to him for nailing that intrusive damn thing!
hover and its crash and burn time
First of all that is not a drone it is a quad copter and if anyone wants to invade my privacy by taking videos of me or my family with a quad then i will gladly oblige the person who thinks it is ok to invade my privacy to let them watch their quad fall out of the sky like confetti raining down to the ground. and I used to shoot skeet and dove hunted quite often so shooting a quad would be no problem.
Right to privacy? Hello! Shoot them all down. You don’t get to spy on people.
Silencerco salvo 12
Bompf no more drone
goose load
I consider the airspace over my property as far up as the range that my shotgun will reach, a “no fly zone”. Birds and other flying creatures are, of course exempt. Drones are not.
As a commercial drone operator…. I would hope that some discretion would be exercised before “shooting down” my UA (Unmanned Aircraft) if I happen to fly near or over your home while completing a job. We are not all bad, some of us are just trying to make a living!
Making a living over my house’s
would be a costly mistake………..
Joe,
I feel I should clarify a few things for my friends here…. In reply to your statement ^^^, it is very costly and difficult to become a commercial operator. My application to the FAA was over 275 pages! Anyone who is flying over your property without your permission is most likely NOT an approved operator. The FAA requires by your Letter of Authorization that we (I) receive permission before operating over private property. This is to help protect individuals property and privacy. The FAA has jurisdiction over all airspace and this is how they are trying to help alleviate some concerns of privacy invasion. Furthermore, in order to receive this authorization, the operator has to be an actual pilot and pass the TSA background check required of all Airmen. Anyone annoyingly buzzing around over your hot tub is NOT a commercial operator!
A commercial UA (please don’t call it a drone) is registered with the FAA and has a “tail number” just like a manned aircraft….. This is why the FAA refers to them as Unmanned Aircraft. As of right now, they are treating them just like manned aircraft. So, shooting at one may carry the same legal consequences as shooting at a manned aircraft!
If your neighbor is annoying you with his “toy”, it’s up to you how you handle that situation. PLEASE as always know where that shot is going to fall! You are responsible for that round!
Agreed. Makes me a little nervous when I read a few comments about using a high powered rifle to shoot down a drone or an UA. Gun safety gang… that projectile is going to come down somewhere and could kill an innocent person. Most shotgun ammo is a different story and if they’re hovering over your back yard I’d say they are fair game.
I’ve been waiting for the oppertunity to do the same!!!
To be less controversial, if it were me I’d get my longbow and hit it with flu-flu arrow. One in the propeller with a cable loop bird point would probably take it right down. (But I shoot instinctive so that’s me).