Sens. Cotton and Rosen Introduce DEFENSE Act to Help Local Police Stop Drone Threats at Stadiums
The DEFENSE Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for review. The bill is actively moving as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.
This bill has strong bipartisan support and addresses a clear security gap, but it must still clear committees that often move slowly on new technology rules.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
While this bill doesn't directly regulate firearms, it expands the types of law enforcement actions that can be taken at large public events. Drone countermeasure authority could potentially overlap with concerns about surveillance technology being used near gun owners attending events, though the bill's scope is narrowly focused on drones rather than general surveillance.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senators Tom Cotton and Jacky Rosen introduced the DEFENSE Act to allow state and local law enforcement to disable drones at sporting events. The bill is backed by major sports leagues citing a massive increase in unauthorized drone incursions that have caused game delays.
The U.S. House approved the Safer Skies Act as part of a broader defense package. The legislation allows state and local law enforcement to receive the same training as federal agents to operate on-site at large-scale sporting events, addressing a 4,145% increase in drone incidents since 2018.
The recently enacted Safer Skies Act authorizes local authorities to disable dangerous drones, but it has also raised alarms among civil liberties groups. Advocates warn that expanding law enforcement surveillance capabilities could lead to overreach without narrow, precisely defined rules.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
DEFENSE Act
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