Colorado Town Mulls Letting Residents Shoot Down Drones

[Galraedia]

Source: Atlantic Wire

One small town in Colorado has decided to take a stand against drone surveillance. Deer Trail resident Phillip Steel has drafted an ordinance that would allow residents to purchase a permit to shoot down drones. "We do not want drones in town," Steel said. "They fly in town, they get shot down." According to the ordinance:

The Town of Deer Trail shall issue a reward of $100 to any shooter who presents a valid hunting license and the following identifiable parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle whose markings and configuration are consistent with those used on any similar craft known to be owned or operated by the United States federal government.

For just $25 a year, Deer Trail citizens can take a stand against government surveillance policies, by shooting drones down with "any shotgun, 12 gauge or smaller, having a barrel length of 18 inches or greater." Sounds good, as long as you ignore the fact that damaging federal property is a crime. Which, apparently, the citizens of Deer Trail are happy to do. Equally important is the apparent lack of drones flying over the town. Deer Trail, which is about 55 miles east of Denver, has a population of just over 550 people. It's not exactly a hot spot for whatever it is the government is looking for, and Steel admitted to never having seen a drone. "This is a very symbolic ordinance," Steel said. "Basically, I do not believe in the idea of a surveillance society, and I believe we are heading that way."

Read more: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/07/colorado-town-mulls-letting-residents-shoot-down-drones/67290/

[Ter]

1. Awesome

Too bad you need a permit though.

[Major Hogwash]

25. Frickin' authoritarians!!!

Just another way to raise a buck.
Back in the old days we just used to shoot at anything that moved until everything stopped moving.
Because that's the way we liked it!!

[AllTooEasy]

31. No, it's fucking stupid

1) First the drones fly so high, no one can see them from the groud. That's the point. That's why drones have highly focused HD cameras.

2) So what these "Good Ole Boys" will be shooting at is not a drone

3) Missed bullets will come down and hit the earth, an animal, or a person at the muzzle velocity (i.e. sudden death)

I can't believe that Liberals are arguing that the way to fight a Conservative idea is with an even more idiotic Conservative idea!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. A bounty on drones?

If you shoot one down do you also get to hang it over the fireplace in your den?

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. ROLF!!!!

the cartoons are drawing themselves in my mind!!!!!

[Skink]

3. Bazookas 100 Grand each.

Should be fun.

[jtuck004]

4. "They fly in town, they get shot down."

That's funny, I don't care who you are. Starting to look a little too much like Afghanistan around here anyway.

Beside, this might help their economy, and if they can sell hunting licenses wherein they shoot at stupid planes instead of animals, all the better.

[valerief]

5. Drones today, NSA tomorrow. Sounds good to me. nt

[KansDem]

6. Interesting mix of politics in Deer Trail...

I wondered at first if the residents would be so hellbent on shooting down the drones of a GOP president, but not after seeing this...

2004 Presidential Election results in Arapahoe County Colorado: Bush over Kerry 51% to 48%
2008 Presidential Election results in Arapahoe County Colorado: Obama over McCain 56% to 43%



More demographic information: http://www.city-data.com/city/Deer-Trail-Colorado.html

[Tx4obama]

7. Besides the town's reward they'll also receive: a long prison term and probably a big fine too. n/t

[cstanleytech]

8. Maybe they will like it at club FED?

[RobinA]

16. Not To Mention

the huge lawsuit when it lands on somebody's house, grandma or kid.

[freshwest]

21. That was my first thought, too.

[tavalon]

26. I think you might be missing the point here

How many drones do you think have ever gone over that town? This is a statement of defiance of the criminality of these drones, not an actual turkey shoot.

[Earth_First]

33. This.

Its blatently obvious that this is a statement of defiance.

[greenman3610]

34. this is a statement of ignorance, not defiance

it goes in the category of banning sharia law.

[tavalon]

42. Do you find that subtle things sometimes go over your head?

This is just a middle finger to the government. A public shaming that is very appropriate. It does not, however, indicate that the town in question believes that drones are currently or will, in the future, be flying in their not so friendly skies.

[8 track mind]

9. why am i having this image of a stuffed drone on somebody's wall over a fire place? n/t

[Faygo Kid]

10. What about that buzzing noise in their heads? They gonna shoot that, too?

[dballance]

11. I'm just going to bet there is a federal law that prohibits that.

I don't see how this would be much different from shooting out the tires of a fed vehicle. They probably don't even have to pass a new law,

[jmowreader]

15. 18 USC 1361 prohibits this

For damage exceeding $100: up to a $250,000 fine, 10 years imprisonment, or both.
For damage under $100: up to a $100,000 fine, 1 year imprisonment, or both.

[struggle4progress]

32. And let's not forget 18 USC 2(a): "Whoever commits an offense against the United States or

aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal"

Deertrail's Mayor and Board of Trustees might want to chat with their lawyers before supporting this brilliant idea

[jmowreader]

37. Don't forget 18 USC 1369

"Any person who opens fire on an unmanned aerial vehicle, that vehicle being owned by or contracted to the United States, shall be punished by it firing back."

[Orrex]

13. They should just put hoodies on the drones and let nature take its course

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. Extremely Stupid to fire almost vertically in a populated area. nt

[BlueJazz]

17. I'd be more scared of all the buckshot or bullets raining down on the population's head.

[Blue Palasky]

18. good

[Yo_Mama]

19. Not the place to hangglide n/t

[Writely Wrong]

20. It may be worth $25

just to get a drone license. You know, get one, and make a copy part of your e-mail signature to let the NSA know how you feel about them snooping thru your undie draws.

[bluedeer71]

22. BFD.........

BFD........this is just another way for people to make money off ultra-conservative fools. It's interesting to me that these idiots don't even know that they are being fleeced.

[awoke_in_2003]

23. What could possibly go wrong? nt

[Major Hogwash]

24. Hahahaha!!!!!!!

"I ain't never seen one them things, but if I do, I'm going to shoot it!!" says cross-eyed, local town loon, Phillip Steel. "It may take me several tries to actually hit the damned thing, so I have abeen practicing on the road signs around here."

[Kennah]

28. So it's the highway department padding their budget? I can go along with that.

[matthews]

27. Well, this moving to Deer Trail, CO worth thinking about.

I just wonder who they think they are? American's or something?

[ronnie624]

29. "Basically, I do not believe in the idea of a surveillance society"

He would be singing a different tune if the president was a wing-nut Republican.

[olddad56]

30. sounds like a great idea, but the ordinance might not hold up much weight with Big Brother

[Mz Pip]

35. Is there really that big of a drone problem in CO?

This seems like a very stupid idea.

[leftyladyfrommo]

36. Bazookas to shoot them down?

Oh, good. All the good ole boys can go buy their own anti-drone whatever - the bigger and more powerful the better.

That sounds perfectly safe, don't you think?

That would make a great reality show. Bazookas and the Boobs who use them?

[jmowreader]

38. The saddest part of it all

The people who are most afraid of being spied on live such boring lives no one would ever want to spy on them. These guys are probably so law-abiding they use turn signals when no one's behind them. Their drug of choice is Folger's, they pay their taxes on the first day, and their one act of political activism is to go to the polls every other November and vote straight ticket Republican.

Also, I wonder if this idiot knows UAVs fly out of shotgun range?

[NYC Liberal]

39. Destroying federal military equipment...

what could possibly go wrong?

[hunter]

40. This:

Some of those drones are big...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014540578

[Blue_Tires]

41. um...just how the hell do you shoot down a drone with a shottie?

Iran needed an Su-25 to do it...