On the surface, it seems harmless enough.

After all, who wants to envision runaway horses on Mackinac Island of all places?

Allegedly to prevent that from happening, and to ensure the historic charm of the island, sitting on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk this week is legislation that allows the city council on the island to limit drone use in certain areas and except for specific purposes. The legislation has been approved in the state House and state Senate and only needs the governor’s signature before becoming law.

While we understand its intentions, we think the legislation is wrong, because we fear it will open the door for other communities in the state to make similar arguments as they seek bans of their own. Once one exemption is made, it is easier to justify making others.

We appreciate the argument that irresponsible drone users could startle horses if the drones get too close or suffer a malfunction.

Our argument, however, is that professional drone users — those who carry a license already from the Federal Aviation Administration, are not the problem. It is amateur drone users who are creating the problem: hobbyists who are just learning the limitations and boundaries of their drones.

And, unfortunately, the legislation awaiting Whitmer’s signature is probably not going to prevent that from continuing.

Thankfully, under the legislation, professionals could still seek special-use permits and be allowed to continue operating within certain restrictions.

Amateurs could also seek special permission, but most who fall into that category would be island visitors and probably won’t even be aware of the legislation. They will be accustomed to flying wherever, not realizing there is a no-fly zone on the island.

While the legislation might have been well intended, we quickly see it becoming a marketing nightmare for island tourism if enforcement is not handled delicately.

We believe a little education for island tourists might have been a better solution to the issue than having a law enacted from Lansing.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)