In response to a small Colorado town's proposal to place a bounty on drones, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning that anyone who shoots down an unmanned aerial vehicle risks fines and jail time.

Drones "hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air," the FAA said in a July 19 statement. "Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in criminal or civil liability, just as would firing at a manned airplane."

The FAA's statement comes in response to reports that the small farming and ranching town of Deer Trail, Colo., wher residents say the country's first rodeo was held in 1869, is considering an ordinance that would make it legal for hunters to shoot down drones.

Reuters reported July 21 that trusties of the 600-resident town, which lies some 55 miles east of Denver on the high plains, planned to "debate an ordinance that would allow residents to purchase a $25 hunting license to shoot down 'unmanned aerial vehicles.'"