# Is it illegal to shoot down a drone?

**Yes. It is a federal crime, because the FAA treats a drone as an aircraft under 18 U.S. Code 32.** Shooting down a drone is a federal crime. The FAA classifies a drone as an aircraft in the national airspace, so damaging or destroying one can fall under 18 U.S. Code 32 (destruction of aircraft), which carries up to 20 years in prison, on top of any state or local firearm charge. Aiming a laser at a drone is a separate federal crime under 18 U.S. Code 39A, up to 5 years, and a laser does not reliably bring a drone down anyway. Jamming or otherwise interfering with a drone is also illegal. The lawful response is to report it, not to take it down. This is not legal advice.

Last verified Jan 1, 2024. 4 sources.

## Short answer

Yes, shooting down a drone is illegal, and it is a federal crime rather than a property dispute. The reason is a single classification: the FAA treats a drone as an aircraft in the national airspace. That means the rules protecting crewed aircraft reach it too.

18 U.S. Code § 32 makes it a crime to willfully damage, destroy, or disable an aircraft, punishable by a fine or up to 20 years in prison. Because a drone is an aircraft under federal law, shooting one down can fall under this statute, and there is no exception for a drone flying over your own yard. On top of that, discharging a firearm in a residential area is prohibited under most state and local laws regardless of the target, so a single shot can trigger two separate offenses.

A laser pointer is not a loophole. 18 U.S. Code § 39A makes it a crime to knowingly aim the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft, punishable by up to 5 years. A laser also cannot reliably force a drone down: it does not cut power or trigger a landing, and the beam can travel past the drone to a crewed aircraft behind it. So lasing a drone is a felony risk with no dependable effect.

Drones are also simply hard to hit. A small consumer drone is a fast, agile, low-profile target, and a fired round keeps traveling and comes down somewhere, while debris from a struck drone is its own hazard. Jamming a drone's radio or GPS signal is separately illegal under federal law, and physically capturing one in flight can still run into the aircraft-interference statute. The consistent federal guidance is the opposite of taking matters into your own hands: document the flights and report them to local police, and report airspace-safety problems to the FAA.

## Why it is a crime, point by point

| Point | Kind | Date | Source | Who |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The FAA treats a drone as an aircraft, so shooting one is not a property matter. | FAA guidance | Jan 1, 2024 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone) | FAA (No Drone Zone guidance) |
| Drones are hard to hit, and firing into the air is dangerous and often illegal. | Safety | Jan 1, 2024 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone) | Safety and state or local law |
| Jamming, netting, or otherwise interfering with a drone is also illegal. | Federal law | Jan 1, 2024 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement) | Federal law (FAA guidance) |
| Aiming a laser at a drone is a separate federal crime under 18 U.S. Code 39A. | Federal law | Feb 14, 2012 | [Cornell Law (LII)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/39A) | 18 U.S. Code § 39A (Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft) |
| Shooting down a drone is a federal crime under 18 U.S. Code 32. | Federal law | Oct 12, 1984 | [Cornell Law (LII)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32) | 18 U.S. Code § 32 (Destruction of aircraft) |

## The statutes and guidance, dated

- **Jan 1, 2024: The FAA treats a drone as an aircraft, so shooting one is not a property matter.** The FAA classifies a drone as an aircraft in the national airspace. That is the fact everything else turns on: a drone is not treated like a trespassing object you may destroy, and firing at it endangers people and property on the ground. The FAA's guidance is to report an unwanted drone rather than take it down. (FAA (No Drone Zone guidance))
- **Jan 1, 2024: Drones are hard to hit, and firing into the air is dangerous and often illegal.** A small consumer drone is a fast, agile, low-profile target that is difficult to hit with a firearm. Worse, a fired round does not stop at the drone: it keeps traveling and comes down somewhere, and falling debris from a struck drone is itself a hazard. Discharging a firearm in a residential area is prohibited under most state and local laws regardless of the target, which is a separate offense from the federal aircraft statute. (Safety and state or local law)
- **Jan 1, 2024: Jamming, netting, or otherwise interfering with a drone is also illegal.** Shooting is not the only banned method. Jamming a drone's radio or GPS signal is separately illegal under federal law, and physically capturing or disabling one in flight can still run into the aircraft-interference statute. Federal guidance is consistent: the lawful response to an unwanted drone is to document it and report it to local police and, for airspace-safety issues, to the FAA, not to take it down. (Federal law (FAA guidance))
- **Feb 14, 2012: Aiming a laser at a drone is a separate federal crime under 18 U.S. Code 39A.** 18 U.S. Code § 39A makes it a crime to knowingly aim the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft, punishable by a fine or up to 5 years in prison. A laser pointer also does not reliably bring a drone down; it cannot cut power or force a landing. Pointing one at a drone is a felony risk with no dependable effect, and the beam can travel on to a crewed aircraft behind it. (18 U.S. Code § 39A (Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft))
- **Oct 12, 1984: Shooting down a drone is a federal crime under 18 U.S. Code 32.** 18 U.S. Code § 32 makes it a crime to willfully damage, destroy, or disable an aircraft, and it carries a fine or imprisonment of up to 20 years. Because the FAA treats a drone as an aircraft, shooting one out of the sky can fall under this statute, on top of any state or local firearm charge. The law does not carve out a drone flying over your own yard. (18 U.S. Code § 32 (Destruction of aircraft))

## How we know this

- [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/no_drone_zone) (2024-01-01)
- [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement) (2024-01-01)
- [Cornell Law (LII)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/39A) (2012-02-14)
- [Cornell Law (LII)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32) (1984-10-12)

## Common questions

### Can I shoot a drone flying over my property?

No. The FAA treats a drone as an aircraft, so shooting one down can fall under 18 U.S. Code 32 (destruction of aircraft), a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years, plus any state or local firearm charge. There is no exception for a drone over your own yard. The lawful response is to document the flight and report it to local police and, for airspace-safety issues, to the FAA.

### Can a laser pointer bring down a drone?

No, and it is a crime to try. 18 U.S. Code 39A makes knowingly aiming a laser beam at an aircraft a federal offense punishable by up to 5 years. A laser pointer also does not reliably disable a drone: it cannot cut power or force a landing, and the beam can carry on to a crewed aircraft behind the drone. It is a felony risk with no dependable effect.

### Why are drones so hard to shoot down?

A small consumer drone is a fast, agile, low-profile target that is difficult to hit with a firearm. Even setting the law aside, firing into the air is dangerous: the round keeps traveling and comes down somewhere, and debris from a struck drone is a hazard on the ground. That combination of a hard target and a dangerous miss is a large part of why shooting is both ineffective and prohibited.

### Is it legal to jam a drone?

No. Jamming a drone's radio or GPS signal is separately illegal under federal law, and physically capturing or disabling a drone in flight can still run into the aircraft-interference statute. Shooting is not the only banned method; the federal position is that interfering with a drone in flight is not a lawful self-help remedy. Report the drone instead.

### What should I do instead of shooting a drone down?

Document the flight (date, time, altitude, direction, description, and anything you saw it do), then report it. Call local police for harassment, privacy, or an on-scene response, and report an unsafe or unauthorized operation to the FAA through its UAS sightings channel. Remote ID lets the FAA and law enforcement identify the operator. Taking the drone down yourself turns you into the person facing federal charges.

### Has anyone been prosecuted for shooting down a drone?

The federal framework is clear that shooting a drone can be charged under the aircraft-destruction statute, and people have faced criminal charges for firing at drones. DEPLOY does not hold a verified case ledger for these prosecutions and will not cite specific cases it has not confirmed. The point that matters for a homeowner is the exposure: it is treated as shooting at an aircraft, not as damaging a trespassing object.

## Keep reading

- [Which eVTOL company is closest to FAA certification?](/evtol-faa-certification-tracker.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [Is drone delivery legal?](/is-drone-delivery-legal.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [What's the best drone to buy right now?](/whats-the-best-drone-to-buy.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [What's the best drone for beginners?](/best-drone-for-beginners.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [All verified answers](/answers.md): Every standing question DEPLOY tracks.
- [Can you stop a drone from flying over your house?](/can-you-stop-a-drone-from-flying-over-your-house.md): What you legally can and cannot do.

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