Can a gun range shoot drones? What the law says.

Published 2026-09-06. This is a summary of public sources, not legal advice.

The rule

The FAA classifies unmanned aircraft as aircraft under 49 U.S.C. § 40102. The federal aircraft sabotage statute, 18 U.S.C. § 32, makes it a crime to willfully damage, destroy, or disable an aircraft, with penalties up to 20 years and fines up to $250,000. Legal commentary applies that statute to drones of any size and purpose, and treats private property, and ownership of the drone, as no defense. State charges for reckless discharge and civil liability can stack on top.

What that means for a range

A civilian gun range that launches drones for members to shoot is, on the mainstream reading, organising a federal felony, whoever owns the drone. A few commentators argue the statute was not written with hobby aircraft in mind; nobody argues that a range should test the theory. If you are considering it, the first call is to counsel, not to a drone vendor.

Who shoots at drones lawfully

• Military units on military ranges, where defeating small drones with shotguns is now a training subject argued for in the Naval Institute's Proceedings.
• Federal agencies with counter-UAS authority granted by statute, operating under their own rules.
• State and local agencies only as federal legislation extends authority to them, on specific terms and usually through pilot programs. Check the current position with counsel; it is moving.

In every case the authorization belongs to the organisation and its lawyers. A target vendor supplies the aircraft; it cannot supply the legal basis.

What the shooting sports use instead

Products built for the sport launch targets on drone-like trajectories without putting an aircraft in the air to be shot: drone-mimicking clay throwers with variable speeds and directions, and radio-controlled target systems designed for shotgun sport. Those are the lawful way for a civilian range to offer the experience, and they are not what EnCor makes.

Where EnCor fits

For organisations that are authorized to destroy drones in training and testing, the Corvin is an expendable target that comes back as parts: $1,799 for the airframe, detachable arms, a 3D-printed ABS frame, and electronics that move to a fresh frame after a hit. The counter-drone shotgun training page and the counter-UAS ranges page describe that use. We do not sell it to civilian ranges as a clay pigeon.

Questions buyers ask

Can a gun range use drones as clay pigeons?

Not lawfully, on the mainstream reading of federal law. The FAA classifies every unmanned aircraft as an aircraft, and 18 U.S.C. § 32 makes willfully damaging or destroying an aircraft a federal felony with penalties up to 20 years. Owning the drone and being on private property are not defenses in that reading. Ask counsel before you plan anything that involves shooting at an aircraft.

Who does shoot at drones legally?

Military units on military ranges training to defeat small drones, and federal agencies operating under counter-drone authorities granted by statute. State and local agencies have had limited authority; recent federal legislation has begun extending it, on specific terms. The authorization comes from the agency and its counsel, not from the target vendor.

What do civilian shooters use instead?

Drone-mimicking clay throwers and radio-controlled target systems built for the sport, which launch targets on drone-like trajectories at drone-like speeds without an aircraft being shot at. Nordic Clays and Gnat USA are two names in that space.

Does EnCor sell drones as shotgun targets for ranges?

EnCor sells the Corvin as an expendable, repairable target aircraft to organizations that are authorized to destroy drones in training and testing, such as military and federal counter-UAS ranges. We do not market it to civilian ranges as a clay pigeon, and this page is why.