Austin Haughwout
| Austin Haughwout | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 13, 1996 Clinton, Connecticut, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | drone, hobbyist |
Austin Haughwout (/ˈhaʊət/, born November 13, 1996[1]) is an American drone hobbyist and former engineering student from Clinton, Connecticut, known for YouTube videos relating to his use of drones.
Assault victim
Haughwout first received media attention over an earlier incident in May 2014, when at the age of 17 he was assaulted by a 23-year-old woman who objected to his use of a drone for photography at a public beach. Haughwout recorded a video of the assault on his cellphone and posted it to YouTube. The woman was sentenced to two years' probation.[2][3][4]
Drone video controversies
Drone with gun
In July 2015, Haughwout, then an engineering student at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), posted a video on YouTube showing a drone carrying a semi-automatic handgun, which he had assembled, and which was seen to fire the gun several times. The drone was flying in woodland behind his home. The video, posted on July 10, had received almost 2 million views by July 21, and led to an FAA investigation as to whether Haughwout had violated aviation law, although local police said that they did not believe that he had violated state law.[5][6][7]
Drone with flamethrower
In December 2015, Haughwout uploaded a video of a drone carrying a flame thrower, which he had also created, and which was being used to roast a turkey. Again, the local police stated that no laws were broken.[8]
Legislation
The video with the drone-mounted handgun had been posted weeks after a proposal in the Connecticut House of Representatives to restrict armed drones had lapsed because of inaction. In early 2016, state legislators tabled two new bills that would impose restrictions on drone weaponization. The police seargeant who had investigated the gun video stated that, although a Second Amendment supporter, she supported regulation "because I don't see any, any civilian purpose for a flying gun".[9]
Austin Haughwout testified against legislation to ban adding weapons to UAVs.[10] He argued that the problem wasn't the weaponisation of UAVs but the use, pointing out that assault, murder and recklessly endangering the public were already illegal.[10]
Expulsion
In October 2015, Haughwout was expelled from CCSU. He says that this is over the drone controversy, and is taking legal action to compel the university to reinstate him.[11]
References
- ↑ "Drone Teen Arrested In Clinton". CBS News. 23 Jul 2015.
- ↑ Detelj, Tina (11 Jun 2014). "Andrea Mears, Austin Haughwout: Woman charged with assault over drone with camera filming at beach". WPTV-TV.
- ↑ Associated Press (10 Jul 2015). "Woman gets probation after assaulting ‘pervy’ teen drone pilot". New York Post.
- ↑ Charlton, John (19 Jul 2014). "Woman From Viral Drone Video Appears In Court". Fox Broadcasting Company.
- ↑ Associated Press (21 Jul 2015). "Teen's video of handgun-toting drone prompts federal investigation". The Guardian.
- ↑ Associated Press (21 Jul 2015). "Teenager's video of gun-firing drone spurs investigation". Cybercast News Service.
- ↑ Ernst, Douglas (21 Jul 2015). "‘Flying Gun’ drone investigated by FAA after student’s YouTube video goes viral". The Washington Times.
- ↑ Alba, Alejandro (9 Dec 2015). "WATCH: Connecticut teen tests fire-breathing, turkey-roasting drone". New York Daily News.
- ↑ Wilkinson, James (28 Feb 2016). "Connecticut lawmakers fight to ban ARMED drones after teenager built terrifying flying flamethrower and pistol". Mail Online.
- 1 2 Blair, Russell (29 Feb 2016). "Teen Who Built Gun-Firing Drone Testifies Against Drone Legislation". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 29 Mar 2016.
- ↑ Associated Press (9 Mar 2016). "Ex-student expelled over weaponized drone sues school". The Charlotte Observer.