By Joanna Putman
Police1
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 2681, which would have banned the use of weaponized drones, including by law enforcement, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The bill, authored by Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, D-San Diego, aimed to make it illegal to manufacture, sell or operate robotic devices equipped with weapons in California, according to the report. The bill did not include exceptions for law enforcement, which became a point of contention.
In his veto message, Newsom expressed support for placing restrictions on drones but emphasized the need to maintain law enforcement’s ability to use robotic devices in certain dangerous situations.
“For example, when confronted with armed and barricaded suspects, law enforcement agencies sometimes use remotely operated robots to deploy less-lethal force to drive these suspects into the open or protect officers from dangerous suspects,” Newsom wrote.
