As drones became more popular and concerns arose about privacy and neighbors spying on neighbors, the topic of shooting drones out of the sky came up as well. In 2015 a Kentucky man shot down a drone hovering over his yard and was charged with criminal mischief and wanton endangerment. In 2017 a lawsuit filed in federal court against the shooter was dismissed. The drone owner had filed suit asking the court to make a legal determination whether or not the drone flight was trespassing. The drone owner felt the destruction of the drone was unwarranted and he should be compensated for damages. The court dismissed the case stating that this was the wrong venue, and that it should be handled in Kentucky state court.

 Other drones have been shot down in New Jersey and California. Many have been arrested for shooting down drones as FAA regulations state it is illegal. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin and Boeing are selling anti-drone laser weapons, and another company is selling shotgun shells specifically designed for those who feel they have a need for ammunition against drones. While not making a recommendation, in April 2015 Popular Mechanics ran an article discussing how to take down a drone. One of the significant points is that what goes up must come down, and bullets falling out of the sky are always a bad idea. Another issue is actually hitting the drone which is a moving target; the drone may be missed and other objects may be struck instead.  

 It's not just private individuals who have problems with drones. In June of 2015 the presence of drones caused firefighting aircraft to divert and caused the grounding of four responding aircraft for over two and one half hours before firefighting efforts could resume. Some planes had to drop their fire retardant, and the failed mission cost between $10,000 and $15,000. In July 2015 a fire near a California interstate was interfered with and caused a twenty minute delay of responding aircraft, allowing the fire to grow substantially. Some counties offered rewards for information on drone flyers, up to $75,000, and proposed legislation would let firefighters knock drones out of the air if they were impeding firefighting efforts without having to pay for damage caused to the drone.