(credit: CBS)

DEER TRAIL, Colo. (CBS4) – A tiny town in Colorado’s Eastern Plains is declaring war on drones. The town of Deer Trail plans to begin issuing drone hunting licenses if a controversial ordinance passes Tuesday night.

Deer Trail resident Phillip Steel, whose house is surrounded by no trespassing signs, wrote the ordinance to protect individual privacy rights.

“We don’t want a surveillance society here.” Steel said.

Steel says drones are too powerful and too intrusive. He fears drones will become more prevalent in the skies in the coming years, but admits he hasn’t ever seen a drone flying over Deer Trail.

“Right now we don’t have drones flying in our skies, great. We want to keep it that way.”

So Steel authored the first ever “no-drone zone” ordinance which gives individuals with licenses the right to shoot down a drone flying over Deer Trail with a shotgun. Deer Trail also plans to offer a cash bounty for pieces of shot down drones, which they will call trophies. (Read the Ordinance)

“If you don’t want your drone to go down, don’t fly in town.” Steel said. “That’s our motto.”

Deer Trail Mayor Frank Fields agrees with Steel and believes the Drone hunting ban will pass.

“Using it against terrorists is okay, but we don’t need to be using it in our little towns, peeking in windows and stuff,” Fields said.

Fields says the proposed ordinance is “kind of real, kind of tongue-and-cheek.” He sees the ordinance as an opportunity for revenue. He says 157 people have already signed up to be the first to get a drone hunting license at $25 each. He also thinks drone hunting could bring tourists and souvenir shops to Deer Trail.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/08/05/ordinance-would-allow-for-dro...