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Representative pulls bill that would ban weaponizing robots after lawmakers raise scope and enforcement concerns
Summary
House Bill 1504, aimed at criminalizing the manufacture, sale or operation of weaponized robotic devices, was pulled by its sponsor after committee members pressed the bill’s scope, exceptions and potential impacts on lawful uses and innovation.
Representative Mark Meeks introduced House Bill 1504, modeled on Massachusetts model legislation, to make it unlawful to manufacture, modify, sell, transfer or operate a robotic device or uncrewed aircraft equipped with a weapon. The bill would have carried fines between $5,000 and $25,000 and made a person criminally liable for harms caused by a weaponized device, with limited waivers available from the attorney general for defense-industry testing.
Meeks told the committee he had consulted Arkansas State Police and met with…
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