FAA Investigates Teen's Flying Drone Handgun for Violations [UPDATE]

A YouTube video of a flying drone with a handgun attached is making the rounds of the Internet and opinions range from impressed to irritated.

The video, uploaded by YouTube user Hogwit, has reportedly been linked to 18-year-old Austin Haughwout of Clinton, Conn., according to the Daily Mail.

The description on the video notes the drone is a “homemade multirotor with a semiautomatic handgun mounted on it.”

The Federal Aviation Administration released a Friday, July 17, statement on the drone-handgun device.

“The FAA will investigate the operation of an unmanned aircraft system in a Connecticut park to determine if any Federal Aviation Regulations were violated,” Jim Peters of the FAA told Patch via email. “The FAA will also work with its law enforcement partners to determine if there were any violations of criminal statutes.”

What do you think about the drone in the above video? Weigh in via the comments section at the end of the article.

This isn’t the first time Haughwout and drones have created a stir on the Internet.

In May 2014, a woman thought Haughwout was using his drone to take pictures of women on a public beach. She called the police before approaching the teenager and allegedly attacking him at Hammonassett State Park.

The exchange was caught on video, which contains strong language. The username linked to both videos is Hogwit.

What People Are Saying About the Flying Gun YouTube Video

Comments on the video numbered in the hundreds, ranging from admiration to annoyance.

• Jejking: Mate, this is absolutely NUTS. Take it offline. Why on earth are you jeopardizing the fun of drones for EVERYONE?

• cccEngineer: The only people jeopardizing drones for everyone are the people sensitive enough to fight against the use of drones and those lazy enough to not support using them.

• illegalsmile シ: Well, I pretty much just said this was cool. Thanks for sharing.

• Redswipe: Great. Pretty sure this will now be used as evidence to bring crazy anti-drone laws in ruining the fun for everyone :(

• dugee81: Weird, I am not sure what crime i witnessed being committed in this video. We should outlaw drones due to paranoia and assumptions?

• GlintTheStrong: It could be argued that they created a weapon without proper licensing. This type of thing should definitely be cause for worry considering drones can be controlled from miles away.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, unmanned aircrafts must be in the operator’s visual line of sight. Here are some of the rules:

• Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles
• Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times
• Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations
• Don’t fly within 5 miles of an airport unless you contact the airport and control tower before flying
• Don’t fly near people or stadiums
• Don’t fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 lbs.
• Don’t be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft – you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft

Have an opinion on the drone you’d like to share? Join the conversation below.