Lawmakers have created endless nests of ordinance, law, etc deferring responsibility to other aspects of government. Regime change plans generally involve sabotaging resilient systems to make them become brittle. Then you force those systems to bear loads they cannot, destabilize, bring to crisis.

The problem here appears to be conflicts at a state level (safety mandates) and that at the federal level (airspace management, you don't shoot at planes and drones are small planes).

That's the gist of what I've seen with regards to these things. Paralysis and lack of proper chain of command absent disaster, is a sign of impending collapse when there is calamity.

Its unclear who owns the drones but it should be relatively simple with SIGINT to trilaterate the control signal, any decently experienced ham should be able to do that.

If there is no control signal and they are operating autonomous, they should be considered restricted/military weapons with a proper chain of command and oversight. Lawmakers have been paralyzed and unable to keep up for decades though. Its hardly a surprise.

When the costs aren't paid for proper preparation beforehand, the cost is almost always paid in lives.