Fucking drones. One of the few decent things Utah has done recently is this:

Utah’s latest bill specifies that a drone pilot flying a drone over a fire would face charges of a class B misdemeanor and could be fined $2,500. If the drone causes a firefighting aircraft to be diverted from its course, the offense is bumped up to a class A misdemeanor, which comes with a $5,000 fine. If the drone hits an aircraft over a fire, the drone pilot would face charges of a third degree felony, and could be fined $10,000. If the drone causes an aircraft to crash, the drone pilot would face second degree felony charges and fines up to $15,000. The bill would also allow a judge to order a drone pilot pay restitution for any damage the drone might have caused.

@1: It should start off as a felony and be expanded to over any area deemed at risk by the state (whether it be a fire, tornado, earthquake, or whatever).

I'd have no issue with that, especially if it interfered with any rescue operation. Friend who is a summer wildland firefighter says they sometimes have 3 and 4 drones hanging around above them. What if one drops and hits a firefighter while they're in the middle of fire suppression activities? He said they half-heartedly joke about shooting them down, and he says if one crashes near him, he'll destroy it.

whose drones are they? are we talking clueless retirees?

@4: No, more like adolescent males - don't you think?

I thought we dealt with this last year. They shoot them down with a fire hose and carry on. Problem solved.

Is Washington the only state that still hasn't done anything about drones? Too busy not funding the schools and subsidizing Boeing I guess.

@5: I really don't know.

here's a 57 year old: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/…

neither a teen nor a retiree.

A couple of bald eagles should take care of it.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/f…

Hey, we spend way too much on our military in this country. Let's put them to good use and let the USAF shoot these shits down.