House Republican proposes ban on use of armed drones in the US

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) last week introduced legislation that would prevent armed aerial drones from being operated in the United States against people or property.

Burgess's No Armed Drones Act, or NADA, would amend the FAA Modernization and Reform Act to prohibit the use of unmanned aircraft systems as weapons in U.S. airspace, and would prevent the secretary of Transportation from authorizing anyone to use these drones to "deliver a weapon against a person or property."

It would also prevent the manufacture, sale or distribution of armed drones for use in the United States.

The bill, H.R. 5950, is the latest from Republicans aimed at limiting the use of unmanned aerial drones over the United States. Last week, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) proposed legislation that would require the government to obtain a warrant before using drones for aerial surveillance in the United States.

Scott said last week that he fears the government might start dabbling in drone technology before rules are put in place. "It's better to be ahead of this than behind it," he said of the need to create rules for the use of drones.

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