Is It Illegal To Shoot Down A Drone in Idaho?

Paranoia is at an all-time high these days and honestly, we get it. You never know who you can trust and shoot, throw in the fact that we're in an election year... it feels like we all have to watch our backs these days.

Don't let your paranoia get you in trouble!

It's okay to be prepared and ready for when your worst fears come true but sometimes, jumping the gun can be a bad thing. Take drones for example: we don't own a massive piece of land but if we were out back, relaxing, and saw a drone approaching our property... what are we supposed to think?!

We don't want anyone spying on us, right? It's also illegal according to Idaho law:

No person, entity or state agency shall use an unmanned aircraft system to intentionally conduct surveillance of, gather evidence or collect information about, or photographically or electronically record specifically targeted persons or specifically targeted private property...

So, what are you supposed to do about it? Some people might take an aggressive approach and reach for their firearm.

You don't want to do that.

Federal law actually prohibits any of us from shooting down a drone of any sort. Because you're required to register your drones with the FAA, the drones are protected under federal law... and we can think of a few other reasons why you probably should not try to shoot down a drone.

First of all, firing a gun into the air at a drone can be dangerous, and depending on the ammunition used, we don't know where that bullet could end up... especially if there are other homes nearby.

Also, you don't know what kind of damage the drone can cause once it drops from the sky. There's also the fact that it's a felony to shoot down a registered FAA craft and sure, you might have a case if you can prove they were capturing unauthorized video/photos of you and your property... do you really want to face fines and up to 20 years in jail?

We didn't think so either.