Residents of one Colorado town head to the polls on Tuesday to decide a crucial matter over federal drones: Will it be legal to shoot them out of the sky?
Several say the Old-West style is the answer.
“I am proposing to shoot it down,” said Phillip Steel, who lives in Deer Trail, population 598, and thinks that’s what all residents should do if they see any unmanned aircraft over town skies, CNN reported.
He penned a proposed ordinance that would allow for shooting the drones after he found out the Federal Aviation Administration relaxed regulations for their domestic uses. The FAA announced intent to create six drone test areas in the nation — but those areas haven’t been publicly named, CNN said.
But Mr. Steel said that policy is inappropriate, and he wants the town to take proactive measures.
“What has me fired up is it’s trespassing,” he said, CNN reported. “It doesn’t belong there. Yes, it’s privacy. But that’s only one part of it. Who’s going to be flying these drones?”
Mr. Steel’s Old-West style views aren’t his alone.
“I would shoot a drone down if it’s peering in my window, scanning me, and it’s within elevation where I can nail it,” said another resident, Robert Copely, in CNN.
Deer Trail is located about 50 miles from Aurora. The FAA is watching how Tuesday’s vote proceeds.
“Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in criminal or civil liability, just as would firing at a manned airplane,” the FAA said in a statement reported by CNN.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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