Can you think of a better way to normalize it? Think about the average persons response to online privacy these days for a good indicator about how people will feel about drone monitoring in a few years if this is normalized.

Put on a mask, buy a nice rifle, find a high window, and take back your freedom. I do think we'll see a bit of that if they try to start flying these everywhere. I could be a fun underground sport. I bet annoyed civilians would even cheer for it

Please don't do this. You're not going to hit a drone at any appreciable altitude from a "high window" with a "nice rifle." One of the first rules of putting bullets downrange is to know what's behind your target, and you simply can't know that when you're shooting into the air.

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire#Injuries

The FAA classifies drones as aircraft.

https://www.faa.gov/Air_traffic/Publications/atpubs/aim_html...

Damaging an aircraft is considered criminal aircraft sabotage under 18 U.S.C. 32

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32

https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual...

There is nothing in there about if the aircraft is legally or illegally operated.

https://dronedj.com/2024/06/30/florida-walmart-delivery-dron...

And for more resources for drone pilots: https://www.dronepilotgroundschool.com/shooting-drone/

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Firing on drones is a good way to lose your freedoms and even beyond that one's rights to have firearms.

It's kind of amazing that you can post incitement to terrorism on HN. People have been jailed for using high-power laser pointers against aircraft.

Maybe that is why they are only being tested in the Coastal states.

Exactly. That's what I think it is, government secrecy as their standard operating procedure. When unsure, don't say anything. After all, disclosing the public includes adversaries also knowing.

It seems to me what's happening is a "Streisand Effect" where the whole attitude of "go away, nothing to see here" is in fact maximizing attention and defeating the purpose of hiding this away.

If it were me I'd put a band-aid on a drone, fly it to a person, and say, "we are testing military capabilities to render first aid to our soldiers" or something similar. It's not a lie, it's good optics, adversaries can worry about it... then put whatever it is on ice for a while until the heat dies down