Will Toys-R-Us Carry Spy Drones?

First time accepted submitter TomOfAmalfi writes "People are concerned about government use of domestic surveillance drones, but how is that different than what happens when people make their own drones, or buy them at a toy store? These units don't have the endurance or performance of the 'professional' models, but they can be useful and will get better. I can hear the police now when they realize the protesters are tracking them with toys."

Comments

well duh

[peragrin]

An AR drone, a smart phone or tablet, a car battery and 500' of cable can be had for less than $1000 and give you a couple hours of continous run time.

You can do it now if you want.

Re:well duh

[durrr]

Car batteries are Lead-acid. In case you missed Elementary Elements 101 then i can reveal to you that lead is heavy as fuck, as such car batteries have abysmal energy to weight ratio.
Lithium polymer is where the money's at, but you'll still be hard pressed to achive hour long flight times. Some bird-wannabe thermal updraft gliders that can run motor on low or no could probably achive it on a good day, but if you're looking at helicopter/quadcopter style craft you'll probably not get much more than ~10 minutes with a decent one.
There are of course fast charge batteries that you can forcefeed at ~10A or more(and drain at ~60), so with a handfull of spare batteries to keep charging while you're out flying you could probably manage to get quite decent total uptime.

Re:Barney Spy Drones

[houstonbofh]

Of course not. They would never make tech that police are using illegal for civilians. Like wiretapping, or guns. Just never... The problem for them is that this is much easier to make at home than a gun. (Although, guns are surprisingly easy to make, and if not rifled, they are legal in the US)

Now I know I am on some watch list...

Not to worry.

[melikamp]

Only a terrorist would spy on police with a toy UAV. And thanks to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, any such terrorist can be detained by the military indefinitely and without trial, even if a US citizen arrested on US soil. That should teach them, right?

Rhetorical or Not?

[Bob9113]

People are concerned about government use of domestic surveillance drones, but how is that different than what happens when people make their own drones, or buy them at a toy store?

I can't tell if your question is rhetorical or not, because it doesn't work as a rhetorical (the simple, obvious answer is false). So here goes the straight-man answer:

1. Private citizens are not (generally) using taxpayer money to do so.

2. Private citizens do not (generally) have the authority to incarcerate other people.

3. Private citizens are supposed to monitor civil servants even when there is no reasonable suspicion or probable cause.

4. Private citizens are not (generally) supposed to engage in surveillance of other private citizens under any conditions.

5. Civil servants are not supposed to engage in surveillance of private citizens without reasonable suspicion or probable cause.

6. Civil servants are not supposed to buy or build things unless it is the public will that they do so (this can be an implicit will interpreted by civil leaders such as chiefs of police).

7. Private citizens are not supposed to be inhibited in buying or building things unless the thing in question has been specifically regulated through the legislative process or other due deliberative process authorized by the people.

Hope that helps.

Re:Seen at Fry's (or is that Spy's?)

[Forty Two Tenfold]

Inb4 CIA's "We'd never suspect that": C4+remote detonator.

Re:Barney Spy Drones

[Zcar]

I left out some details in what I wrote because I quoted the USC below which lays out the detail.

As far as federal licensing goes, either you are a 01 FFL (normal FFL dealer), 02 FFL (pawn shop FFL), or 03 FFL (Curio & Relic, aka "crusty and rusty"). There are limitations on what each one can do, for example the 03 FFL (C&R) isn't for doing business but rather for a personal collection (and what is considered collectible is regulated). The stuff you hear about regarding NFA stuff (suppressors, short barrel rifles, full auto) isn't properly called Class 3 - there is just a SOT (special occupation tax) on a regular 01 FFL. And again, several levels of that - dealer, manufacturer/repair, importer, destructive devices, etc.

Wonder what part of "shall not be infringed" this all falls under...

Getting a little tangential here, but...

There's more types of FFL than that:
Type 1: Dealer
Type 2: Pawn Shop
Type 3: Collector of Curios and Relics
Type 6: Manufacturer of ammunition other than armor-piercing
Type 7: Manufacturer of non-National Firearms Act firearms and ammunition other than armor-piercing
Type 8: Importer of non-NFA firearms and ammunition
Type 9: Dealer in non-NFA firearms and NFA destructive devices
Type 10: Manufacturer of non-National Firearms Act firearms, NFA destructive devices, and ammunition other than armor-piercing
Type 11: Importer of non-National Firearms Act firearms, NFA destructive devices, and ammunition

There are three classes of SOT for FFLs:
Class 1: Importer of NFA firearms. Requires a Type 8 or 11 FFL $1000/year ($500/year for small importers)
Class 2: Manufacturer of NFA firearms. Requires a Type 7 or 10 FFL $1000/year ($500/year for small manufacturers)
Class 3: Dealer of NFA firearms. Requires a Type 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 FFL. $500/year.

Generally speaking, NFA firearms are:
* Fully automatic firearms (any not registered with the ATF prior to 1986 is not eligible for non-government/dealer ownership).
* Rifles under 26" (66.04 cm) overall length or with a barrel under 16" (40.64 cm) long
* Shotguns under 26" (66.04 cm) overall length or with a barrel under 18" (45.72 cm) long
* Non-sporting firearms with a bore over 0.50" (12.7mm)/explosives (grenades would all into this category)
* Sound suppressors/silencers
* A somewhat nebulous category - Any Other Weapon

Any NFA firearms not imported prior to the 1968 Gun Control Act are not generally legal for citizens (there are a couple of very small loopholes here). Any NFA firearm requires a $200 tax to be paid to transfer to a person or non-SOT or for a non-SOT to make EXCEPT an Any Other Weapon only has a $5 tax to transfer (still $200 to make).