A Colorado Town May Issue Hunting Licenses Allowing People To Shoot Drones

It’s reasonable to be concerned about drones. They’re cheap, they’re plentiful, the government uses a lot of them, and it has shown disconcerting resistance to revealing just what they’re doing with flying spy robots. So Deer Trail, a small town in Colorado, is going to take matters into its own hands: It’s drone huntin’ season!

Introduced by Deer Trail resident Phillip Steel, the law is pretty straightforward. If you see a drone, blow it out of the sky and turn it in for a financial reward.

The ordinance states, “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.”

While we like the idea of treating drones the same way you treat any other varmint, even Steel admits this is little more than a token gesture of defiance: It’s against the law to damage government property and Deer Trail isn’t exactly a hotbed of drone activity. Also, the law requires you to use a shotgun to take out the drone, which really doesn’t have the necessary range or power to drop a Predator drone out of the sky.

Steel and other town politicians are discussing it as a moneymaker as well, since the license will be completely anonymous and only requires being over 21, having $25 in disposable income, and being able to “read and understand English.” All of which gives you a little idea as to the precise seriousness of the proceedings. Even so, at least it’s an amusing form of protest, and if anybody does manage to take out a Predator drone with a shotgun, they’ll have access to all the bragging rights they could ever need.