Video showing home-made drone with gun that's able to fire leads to fears quadcopters could be banned

After the gun is fired, the drone shoots backwards from the recoil — then gets ready to fire again

Video has emerged of a semi-automatic gun strapped to a drone — meaning that the consumer quadcopter can shoot while it flies.

The video comes at a time of increased controversy about the four-rotored flying machines, with an increasing number in the skies and threats that they could be banned. Many have worried that the video, which shows how the drones could very easily be weaponised, could help contribute to the banning of the gadgets entirely.

The home-made drone has a long body — which the Guardian notes is likely have been added to make sure that the effect of the recoil is minimised, since the distance lets it cope with the forces better.

The video is light on description, with only two sentences accompanying it. Homemade multirotor with a semiautomatic handgun mounted on it,” user Hogwit wrote when the video was uploaded on July 10. “Note: The length from the muzzle to the rear of the frame is over 26.”

Hogwit also doesn’t give anything away in their profile, and so it is impossible to verify the video or that it was uploaded by that user. They have only uploaded three videos including this one.

In the comments under the video, some express concerns that the video will contribute to the growing fears about drones that have led some to argue that they should be banned.

“Mate, this is absolutely NUTS,” writes ones. “Take it offline. Why on earth are you jeopardizing the fun of drones for EVERYONE.”

Another says that there “already exists enough paranoia about the usage of multirotors, and the media would go nuts with this video”. “If something like this abused, consumer multirotors may be banned outright,” he writes.

The use of consumer drones in British drones has become an increasingly fraught topic, with some arguing that they should be more heavily regulated or banned entirely. British police have sought to prosecute those that defy restrictions on the flying machines, such as sending them too near airports or over highly-populated areas.