The TSA is planning to shoot down drones near airports. GOP congressmen say that's dangerous and probably illegal.
A Transportation Security Administration patch is seen during K-9 explosives training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on June 20, 2011.
JUSTIN CONNAHER/U.S. AIR FORCE
The TSA wants to give air marshals the power use Defense Department equipment to shoot down drones near airports, two congressmen said Friday, seeking to tackle the small automated aircraft that can harass much larger planes and leave flights grounded.
But in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security that summarizes the plan, the top Republicans on the House Transportation and Homeland Security committees said the idea goes far beyond what they envisaged when they gave the federal government new powers to counter drones last year.
Reps. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said only the Federal Aviation Administration has the expertise to manage the nation's ..
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