FAA Announces Drone Registration Rules

The FAA issued the following press release on December 14, 2015:

“If you own a drone, you must register it with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry. A federal law effective December 21, 2015 requires unmanned aircraft registration, and you are subject to civil and criminal penalties if you do not register.

Register before January 20, 2016 and your $5 registration fee will be refunded!

Paradise Valley CC Student Sues School Over Denial of Free Speech

The Daily Signal:  “A student at an Arizona community college is challenging her school’s so-called ‘speech zone,’ arguing the policy “severely limited” her right to free speech and due process.  Brittany Mirelez, a freshman at Paradise Valley Community College in Maricopa County, Ariz., was kicked out of the designated speech zone in October for failing to obtain permission to use the space.”  See the lawsuit complaint.

Paradise Valley, Arizona, Passes Drone Ordinance

The town of Paradise Valley, Arizona, passed the first drone ordinance of any Arizona city.  The city’s press release states:

“The Paradise Valley Town Council adopted an ordinance on December 3, 2015 regulating the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV or drones).  The ordinance was drafted in response to resident concerns regarding public safety and privacy.  The adopted regulations attempt to balance the competing interests of privacy and safety concerns with the appropriate use of UAV technology for both recreational and commercial use.  The ordinance regulates three types of users: commercial, recreational, and emergency.

Commercial users must register with the Town providing identifying information about the aircraft used.  Additionally, they must provide notification of the date, time, and location of each flight.  Both the registration and notice of flights may be done quickly online and there is no fee to register.  It is required that the Notice of Flight form be submitted at least four (4) hours prior to the commercial flight.The purpose of the online notice and registration is to allow residents who witness a UAV flying near their property to contact the Police Department  to learn the purpose of the flight and the estimated end time of the flight.  If residents have concerns that the UAV is operating in an unsafe manner, they may pass that information on to the police who can contact the responsible party.

Recreational Use

A Paradise Valley property owner may use an UAV on their own property as long as such use is at a height of less than 500 feet and is not in violation of other laws or regulations.  The general prohibitions and penalties include:

  • Flying over private property without the owner’s permission may be considered a form of trespass
  • An UAV shall not be used in a careless or reckless manner that poses an apparent or actual threat of harm danger to persons or property
  • An UAV shall not be used to transmit any visual images or recordings of any person or property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy (inside a residence of an enclosed yard is a defined “privacy” area)
  • Penalties for violation shall be a Class 1 Misdemeanor or punishable under the provisions of Article 1-9 of the Town Code (which suggests that initial violations be charged as a civil violation)

Emergency/Investigatory Use

Emergency use is allowed by a law enforcement agency in response to an emergency situation or after obtaining a warrant based upon probable cause that criminal activity is occurring.

See also:

  • “Paradise Valley becomes first town in Arizona to regulate drones”

 

Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak

Pew Research Center:  “National rates of gun homicide and other violent gun crimes are strikingly lower now than during their peak in the mid-1990s, paralleling a general decline in violent crime, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data. . . . Compared with 1993, the peak of U.S. gun homicides, the firearm homicide rate was 49% lower in 2010, and there were fewer deaths, even though the nation’s population grew. The victimization rate for other violent crimes with a firearm—assaults, robberies and sex crimes—was 75% lower in 2011 than in 1993. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall (with or without a firearm) also is down markedly (72%) over two decades.”

ATF Says Weapons Used in San Bernardino Shooting Were Illegal in California

PJ Media:  “The media proudly reports that the firearms were purchased legally. They are trying to create the narrative that the current gun laws allowed this to happen. They want you to know: “Hey, this was all legally done. We need more laws to stop this from happening again.”  But not so fast.  It may be true that these guns were purchased legally, but they were not used legally and in fact, they were modified in violation of the California firearms laws, says the ATF.”

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