All they had to do was tweak some wording in 18 U.S.C. § 32 to cover reckless use of drones and other egregious behavior. See https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode

All they had to do was tweak some wording in 18 U.S.C. § 32 to cover reckless use of drones and other egregious behavior. See https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32 But drones are hot so why not pass a complex bill with a complex mandate to satisfy regulators itching to pounce on drone hobbyists. Frankly I assumed the behavior was already criminal under Federal law.[1] Anybody who thought it was okay to buzz airplanes is almost certainly not thinking about consequences. [1] I'm not completely convinced it's not, FWIW, but I'm satisfied it's not covered by the above, which is the only relevant Federal criminal statute I could find. I'd bet it's already illegal in many states, though.