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Bill aims to stop weaponized drones

Steve Carmody
/
Michigan Radio

John Hoadley says he doesn't want people in Michigan trying  what he's seen people do in YouTube videos: mount a remote-controlled gun on a drone, and fly it.

"When we think about the fact that these drones are now potentially flying over our homes or schools where our kids or neighbors are," says the Democratic state representative from Kalamazoo, "it's  appropriate to have a framework that says, while there are very cool pieces of this new technology, it would be inappropriate to have flying guns in the state of Michigan."

Hoadley says he takes gun issues "personally," especially after a man shot and killed six people in Kalamazoo during a rampage in February.

But he thinks just about anyone, regardless of their views on the Second Amendment, can appreciate the common sense of the legislation. Seven Republicans have signed on to co-sponsor it.

"We have a history in America of regulating the remote use of firearms pretty stringently," says Hoadley.  "It's illegal to set booby traps that discharge a firearm."

Hoadley hopes to garner support for the bill over the summer, with the goal of getting a hearing this fall when the state House reconvenes.

Tracy Samilton covers energy and transportation, including the auto industry and the business response to climate change for Michigan Public. She began her career at Michigan Public as an intern, where she was promptly “bitten by the radio bug,” and never recovered.
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