Creator of “Flying Gun” Drone Investigated by FAA

Earlier this month, an 18-year-old mechanical engineering student by the name of Austin Haughwout, posted a Youtube video of one of his projects. He managed to mount a semi-automatic pistol to a hobby drone, which he was capable of firing remotely. The brief 14 second video managed to go viral, but not without alarming the authorities.

This isn’t the first time this has been done, but it has raised the ire of the FAA. They’re not sure if what he created was legal, and they’re currently in the process of searching through what I assume is the vast and arbitrary list of federal laws, to see if he’s done anything illegal. While local authorities don’t believe he violated any of Connecticut’s laws, the FAA thinks it’ll find something at the federal level.

Some drone enthusiasts are obviously concerned, since this could lead to more regulation of their hobby. Attorney and drone advocate Peter Sachs told ABC news that “There are countless ways that drones can be useful. Using one as a remote-controlled weapon is not one of them, and I question the judgment of anyone who would attempt to do so.” So far there is no word on whether or not he plans to sue the Defense Department for their fleet of automated war machines (I kid of course).