CCSU Professor Discouraged Student From Building Drone With Gun: Report

Central Connecticut State University said one of its professors told a teenager it was a terrible idea when the student described rigging a drone with a handgun, the Associated Press reports.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether Austin Haughwout, 18, of Clinton, violated its regulations after he posted a 15-second video that shows shots being fired from a drone in a wooded area.

Haughwout's father told NBC Connecticut last week he filmed the YouTube video. He said his son, a mechanical engineering student at CCSU, built and operated the drone himself on the family's private property in Clinton.

CCSU spokesman Mark McLaughlin said a student told an engineering professor this summer he was planning to put a weapon on a remote-controlled aircraft. He did not identify that student by name.

According to McLaughlin, professor Edward Moore strongly discouraged the student. McLaughlin said the drone was not related to a class project.

Clinton police said last week they were aware of the video and concerned for public safety but do not believe the drone has broken any state laws.

The FAA is investigating to determine whether the drone violates any federal regulations.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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