Death to trespassing drones

A pizza delivery drone before a test flight in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 25. If drones were known mostly for delivering pizza, fewer people would want to shoot them down (unless they really wanted someone else's pizza). (Domino's/Handout via Reuters)

The Fauquier Times (Craig Macho) reports that a Fauquier County, Va., resident—Jennifer Youngman—shot down a drone that strayed over her property; the drone might have been an attempt by paparazzi to get photographs of Youngman's neighbor, actor Robert Duvall. Youngman is quoted as saying:

"I was cleaning my .410 gauge and .20 gauge on my front porch when I noticed them." . . .

"They were going a little too fast and they went over my airspace. I had my .20-gauge there, so I put two 7 1/2 birdshot shells in it, and there you are." . . .

"I have a bit of regret, I had small pieces of drone all over my pasture. It's already given me two flat tires on my tractor."

For more on the legal questions raised by such matters, see this post (chiefly about the criminal law questions) and this one (chiefly about the tort law questions).