Shoot ‘Em Down!
Are shotguns the last line of defense against mystery drones?
If you were to ask the question: Why are so many drones the size of cars flying over New Jersey? You’d think someone in government might know.
Alas, this is the ‘deep state’ era and after a history of coverups (from Russian collusion to COVID lab leaks to Hunter’s laptop), the Feds are either lying or incompetent.1 If it is a high-tech repeat of the Chinese balloon fiasco, you have to wonder what Xi Jinping has on the Biden family.
OK, not really.
Regardless, the drone sightings have spread across the Northeast, near sensitive locations and even temporarily shutting down a local airport—yet federal officials insist there is no security threat. But how would they know unless they’re the ones putting them up?2
Which, by the way, is one of the so-called conspiracy theories that suggests the Feds might be looking for something nefarious they don’t want the public to know.3 The bottom line is no one’s being told what’s going on, but more and more folks know exactly what they’d like to do about it.
Shoot the damn things down.
Predictably, craven New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (who had eagerly reiterated there were “no public safety risks,”) quickly reminded his constituents they don’t have authority to shoot down unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).4
It is indeed illegal under federal law to shoot at aircraft within the National Airspace System (NAS).5 And for good reason if you’re talking about protecting lives engaged in military, commercial or personal air traffic.
But as we are witnessing, the centralization of power has its limits. Especially when it comes to preventing state officials from doing their duty. Relying on bureaucrats in Washington to handle local exigencies is still a fool’s errand.