Congress gave the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a United
States government agency, until 2015 to safely integrate drones, or also called
unmanned aircrafts, into the skies over the United States.
“FAA officials have estimated that once regulations are in place, thousands of drones will be in use across the country for a wide variety of purposes, from helping farmers figure out which crops need watering to tracking sea lions in remote rocky outcroppings to aiding search and rescue missions.”
The July 19, 2013, Associated Press report
has some people who are concerned about their privacy asking whether those
drones can just be shot down.
One small town in Colorado, Deer Trail (with about 600
residents), is working on a proposed ordinance when it comes to drones. A drone
hunting permit would cost $25 and the town would give a reward of $100 for anyone who “presents
a valid hunting license and identifiable pieces of a drone that has been shot
down.”
"I don't want to live in a surveillance society. I
don't feel like being in a virtual prison," says 48-year-old Phillip Steel
who is the author of the drone-hunting proposal. "This is a pre-emptive
strike."
As a pre-emptive counterstrike to anyone thinking about
shooting down a drone, the FAA reminds people that while the land in the United
States might be owned by people, the sky is owned by the United States government
and that the FAA regulates the nation's airspace, including the airspace over
cities and towns.
“People who fire guns at drones are endangering the public
and property and could be prosecuted or fined, the Federal Aviation
Administration warned Friday [July 19, 2013].”
(Click on picture to enlarge)
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