A small town in Colorado, which bills itself as the \u201cHome of the World\u2019s First Rodeo,\u201d may soon become home to the first pre-emptive strike against drones.<\/p>\n
Deer Trail, Colorado, a small town located just off I-70 approximately 55 miles east of Denver may soon be firing \u201ca shot heard round the world\u201d of another type if some of the locals have their way.\u00a0 The town is considering an ordinance which would allow citizens to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles, aka drones.<\/p>\n
The ordinance, originally written and proposed by resident Phillip Steel, would allow citizens to shoot down unwanted drones over Deer Trail\u2019s airspace.\u00a0 As added incentive, there\u2019s a reward of anywhere from $25 to $100 to any shooter who can prove he or she shot down a drone.\u00a0 Proof would consist of a valid (drone) hunting license and identifiable parts.<\/p>\n
As currently written, the ordinance requires applicants of drone-hunting licenses \u201cbe able to read and understand English.\u201d <\/a>In addition, they must be 21-years-old and use only 12-gauge shotguns to shoot drones \u201cat a vertical distance of one thousand feet or less.\u201d <\/a>Licenses would cost $25 and would be issued on an anonymous basis without background checks.<\/p>\n Although Steel and other residents of Deer Trail admit they have never seen a drone, Steel said he came up with the idea as a symbolic gesture in protest of increasing government surveillance of citizens.\u00a0 Steel\u2019s actions come on the heels of recent disclosures about NSA surveillance involving the cataloging and archiving of records that include phone calls and emails of Americans.\u00a0 Steel believes that a \u201cvirtual prison\u201d is \u201cbeing created through continued expansion of the surveillance state.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Steel, who is former military, told CNN<\/a> “I took an oath when I joined the military to protect the U.S. Constitution. That oath did not end when I left.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not want drones in town,\u201d said Steel.\u00a0 \u201cThey fly in town, they get shot down.\u201d\u00a0 Steel admitted that \u201cordinance or no,\u201d he would shoot a drone down should he ever see one.<\/p>\n In response to possible \u201cdrone hunting,\u201d the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement<\/a> reminding the public that the FAA regulates the nation\u2019s airspace and that any drone \u201chit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air.\u201d\u00a0 In addition, the FAA warned that \u201cShooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in criminal or civil liability, just as would firing at a manned airplane.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Congress passed a bill which requires the FAA to open up U.S. airspace to drone flights, including \u201cpublic safety drones\u201d as part of a plan by The Department of Homeland Security.\u00a0 Opening U.S airspace to drones could possibly result in \u201c\u202630,000 drones flying domestically by 2020.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Deer Trail\u2019s town board will vote on the drone-hunting ordinance on August 6th<\/sup>.\u00a0 Although most members of the board see the ordinance as more of a poke at the government, some see the possible monetary benefits of issuing drone-hunting licenses.\u00a0 Board member David Boyd told Denver\u2019s KMGH Channel 7 that he doesn\u2019t really support the idea of \u201clegalized drone hunting,\u201d but that he \u201ccan see it as a benefit, monetarily speaking, because of the novelty of the ordinance.\u201d\u00a0 Deer Trail\u2019s Mayor Frank Fields agrees with Boyd<\/a> and says \u201cthe purpose of the ordinance would be to have fun and bring in business, tourism and activities for people in town.\u201d<\/p>\n The additional income from drone-hunting licenses and possible tourism could be a plus for a small town like Deer Trail.\u00a0 According to Deer Trail Town Clerk Kim Oldfield<\/a>, \u201cThis could actually be something to help fund a community center or build us some roads.\u00a0 We need to find our mark on the map\u2026the novelty of being allowed to buy a drone-hunting license could turn into a fun thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps Deer Trail will find their \u201cmark on the map\u201d and have some fun with the drone-hunting licenses, as Oldfield says.\u00a0 More likely, though, Deer Trail will remain just another \u201cmark on the map\u201d for all the drones gliding through the skies overhead.<\/p>\n