Man arrested, accused of shooting down neighbor's drone

If the mere idea of a drone flying over his property makes Kanye West mad, then please imagine what it might do to an ordinary, less controlled mortal.

I am untroubled, therefore, by my lack of surprise at a tale flying out of Lower Township, New Jersey.

There, a higher flying ship allegedly caused a man to pull out his gun and shoot that baby down. The baby I refer to was a drone belonging to his neighbor.

As CBS Philadelphia reported, the drone was hovering last Friday because its owner wanted to take pictures of another neighbor's home -- a friend, allegedly -- which is enjoying building work.

However, shots rang out and the drone became uncontrollable. When it came to earth, its owner noticed perforations that seemed consistent with holes caused by bullets.

Within a short time, Russell J. Percenti, 32, was arrested for allegedly taking the drone out. Technically speaking, he was arrested for possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal mischief, reported CBS Philadelphia. Police said they took away a shotgun from Percenti's home.

I suspect that such incidents are in their infancy. The more things fly overhead, with undetermined purpose, the more Americans' natural paranoia and penchant for weaponry will overtake them.

Shots will be heard on an almost daily basis, without the shooter knowing if he's taken out a government spy machine or several items of lingerie on their way from Amazon.

It's no wonder that towns like Deer Trail, Colo., are already considering the notion of licenses for hunting government drones.

Local drone disputes, though, will surely become ever more common. Neighbors are, by their very nature, nosy. They want to know what's going on all around them, in order to have juice for the next village bazaar.

I can already see an enterprising engineer considering whether he can make money out of making bullet-proof drones.