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Comment by Glyptodon | Hacker News Reader

Somehow this really angers me.

So now people have to register toys they own....

The anger you are feeling is the screws being tightened a little tighter. Everything nowadays is regulated, controlled and monitored, we in the west are not free, especially in "the land of the free"

And some beuracrat(s) at FAA just guaranteed themselves job security for long time

I got some family members some $25 dollar quadcopters for Christmas. Nobody in my family is especially interested in RC's of any kind, but for $25 bucks I thought it would be a fun and unexpected gift, and it was a quick impulse buy by me from Amazon.

My Christmas morning just went from "here's a fun little gift, lets try it out" to "first we have to figure out the government bureaucracy and register this thing or face $300,000 in fines and 3 years in jail, merry Christmas everyone!" Honestly, I'll probably just return them and get something else.

There is no way your $25 quadcopter weighs 250g, so they are not affected by these rules. Gift away!

Get them some lawn darts instead

Yes, registering drones is a brutal oppression that means the west is no longer free.

Not everything. Only consumer things. Corporate things are allowed to do whatever as long as the shareholders are happy.

Except that they aren't toys. They are flying blades and we've already seen situations in which they have interfered with lives/property being saved.

And if you are so angry at regulation then go and live in China. I would highly recommend Beijing this time of year.

Just remember to breath in deep and taste the freedom.

For the record: you are holding up China, a communist dictatorship, as a shining example of free markets and lack of regulation.

...I guess it's an improvement from the similarly-logical "go live in Somalia" meme.

How many people in US have died from gun and car related deaths last year? As compared to "drone strikes"

Around 100 people a year die in the US falling off ladders, with another ~35,000 requiring Emergency Department treatment.

(from the table about halfway thru http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6316a2.htm )

Drones are no doubt an emerging area of possible concern, but this heavy handed regulation is pure and simple control via hysteria.

And there's the combination to be considered[1][2].

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqHrTtvFFIs

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPJMk2fgJU

The only requirement is the weight.

Yes, if your 'toy' is over the minimum weight, then it has to be registered.

However, there are a great number of inexpensive toy drones that are less than $100 and fall below the weight requirement. See the Cheerson CX-10: http://www.amazon.com/Bestpriceam-Cheerson-Cx-10-Quadcopter-...

If you want to avoid having to deal with the registration, then purchase a toy that doesn't have the ability to hurt someone.

I know why it angers me - it's effectively executive action, taken long after the deadline given to the FAA by Congress. Furthermore, the FAA appears to have completely ignored industry and hobbyist input with this absurdly low registration weight.

Try driving your car or getting into amateur radio. Not only do you have to register, you have to take tests to show your proficiency.

It's a limited space, there have been multiple, highly public incidents; registering via a website and agreeing that you know the basics of how to fly your toy safely is pretty lax compared to what I was expecting to come out of it.

You're not the only one.

Why ? Drones are simply the new laser pointer.

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