Colorado town rejects proposed drone hunting licenses
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2013 file photo, anti-surveillance activist Phillip Steel poses for a portrait, in Denver, Colo. Steel started a local ballot initiative in his Colorado town of Deer Trail on shooting down drones. The vote on April 1, 2014 will ask locals the question: Should the city issue hunting licenses to shoot down unmanned aerial drones? (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, file)
A small town in Colorado won't be issuing hunting licenses to shoot down drones.
Voters in Deer Trail overwhelmingly defeated a proposal Tuesday that would have authorized the rural community east of Denver to issue drone-hunting permits.
Town officials say 73 percent of the 188 votes cast were against the measure.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deer Trail has 348 registered voters, but officials say many of those are probably inactive.
Federal aviation authorities warned it's a crime to shoot at drones, but backers said the measure was a tongue-in-cheek challenge to surveillance programs.
Some residents called the election a novelty response to show displeasure and raise money through permits.