Aircraft under a certain size, like 250g -- yes, 250 grams -- are toys, and generally don't require a license.
Above 250g are Drones, and require FAA-related certifications to operate. They are aircraft, and are covered by laws protecting aircraft (18 U.S.C. § 32).
Messing with those will catch you Federal (felony) charges, and could get you in prison.
The drones under 250g don't require a license only for recreation flight. You also can't fly over people and a few other things like that. You still need an FAA license to operate a sub 250g drone for anything commerical.
Also drones under 250g are still considered aircraft and protected by law.
Yes. An RC Toy is another word for a drone. If you shoot down things under the FAA's jurisdiction they will be interested. They have publicly maintained that position since 2016.
The FAA, despite their behaviour with Boeing, will absolutely make an example of people who do stupid things.
Yep. The FAA is slowly enforcing the rules around drones more and more harshly. Someone recently flew a drone over a concert and got a letter from the FAA asking for an explanation of their flight. From what I read, that guy is looking at potential jail time. At some point, the FAA is going to start making some examples out of people.
I'm also pretty sure people have already gone to jail for shooting down drones.
A drone is considered an aircraft by the FAA. It's not just an RC toy.
There is a small carve out that drones under 250g can be flown recreationally by anyone, but most drone flights are being done by pilots who have remote pilot licenses from the FAA. Their drones are aircrafts with all the same legal protections as a plane.
Commerical drones like deliveries would definitely not be considered an RC toy.
