Bill to ban armed drones from N.J. skies advances in Legislature
By Seth Augenstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — A bill that would criminalize the outfitting of drones with weapons was advanced by a state Assembly committee today.
The bill, introduced in January, primarily limits the use of the unmanned aerial vehicles by law enforcement and fire departments to certain situations where search warrants have been obtained, or where there is a clear emergency, such as an Amber Alert or an active fire, according to the legislation.
But the bill now also bans “antipersonnel devices” from being installed on drones. Those include firearms, or any weapons intended to harm, incapacitate or “negatively impact” a human being.
The bill also proposes to make arming a drone with antipersonnel device a crime of the fourth degree — which is punishable by 18 months imprisonment, and potentially a fine of up to $10,000.
“We have heard many concerns about the expanded use of drones invading personal privacy, so a bill like this makes sense in this day and age,” said Assemblyman Daniel Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex).
Several advocates weighed in favorably on the bill, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
“The ACLU thinks this is a key measure to protect New Jerseyans’ privacy,” said Ari Rosmarin, of the ACLU’s New Jersey chapter.
The bill is similar to another measure passed by the Legislature last year, but which waspocket vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie in January.
The committee members said during the brief hearing that they are looking into other aspects of private drone usage. The federal FAA released several regulations about keeping drones away from airports and large crowds over the summer – but are expected to release their full set of drone rules in 2015.
The U.S. military has used drone strikes to hunt and kill suspected terrorists for years in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere abroad.
