Town considering law that would allow residents to shoot down drones

A small rural Colorado town might give its residents the option of buying a hunter’s license to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles. 

Deer Trial, 55 miles east of Denver, was thrust into the national spotlight this past week when resident Phillip Steel, a 48-year-old army veteran, put forth the proposed measure. He crafted it around current bounties the town has in place, which pay hunters who kill animals that prey on livestock. While a reward is paid when the hunter produces the animal’s ears, in Steel’s proposal, the UAV hunter would receive his / her $100 payment when they produced the fuselage and tail of a downed drone. 

The proposal is a result of the recent expansion of drones for commercial and government purposes, a trend Steel describes as alarming.

“We don't want to become a surveillance society,” he told local news media. Steel admitted he hasn’t seen any drones in the Colorado sky yet, but that some local ranchers outside the town had.

Steel’s proposal states that the hunter could legally shoot down a drone flying under 1,000 feet using a 12-gauge or smaller shotgun. “In no case shall a citizen engage an obviously manned aerial vehicle,” the draft reads.

Deer Trial would be required to establish a drone “recognition program” for shooters to be able to properly identify the targeted aircraft.

If the town trustees do not vote to adopt the ordinance, Steel said that it would go before voters in a special election. He admitted that everything he’s doing is symbolic, but that he hopes his efforts will help curtail the use of drones over the area.

“If you don't want your drone to go down, don't fly it in town,” he said.

The FAA has not commented on the proposal yet.

Story via: sky.com