--- title: "Local Residents Threaten to Shoot Amazon Drones Out of the Sky" description: "Amazon publicly announced last week that it would launch drone-delivery Prime Air in Lockeford, California — news to many of the rural town's residents." date: "2022-06-22" modified: "2022-06-22" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/residents-threaten-shoot-amazon-drones" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "Amazon" - "jeff bezos" - "prime air" - "the digest" --- # Local Residents Threaten to Shoot Amazon Drones Out of the Sky ![Amazon publicly announced last week that it would launch drone-delivery Prime Air in Lockeford, California — news to many of the rural town's residents.]() *\Image: CBS/Futurism\* ## Target Practice Amazon [announced earlier this month]() that it would be launching its long-anticipated drone delivery service, Prime Air, in Lockeford, California — which was news to many of the rural town's residents, many of whom went as far as to say that they'll shoot unwelcome delivery drones right out of the sky, [*The Washington Post* reports](). "Target practice!" announced one unnamed resident, who the paper reports is the owner of an archery shop. *WaPo* reports that Amazon alerted Lockeford officials to its plan about six months ago, though many residents had no idea until last week, when the rest of the country found out. ## Community Concern This is the latest in a [long string of incidents]() in which shipping baron and [death-defier]() Jeff Bezos' e-commerce organization has received [community resistance]() to Amazon endeavors. According to *WaPo*, residents of the Northern California town voiced several different reasons for their opposition to the drones. Some expressed employment concerns. Others pointed to potential privacy infringements, while others still cited a general mistrust of the controversial tech titan. "I think they’re going to wreck everything for us," said area occupant Tim Blighton, who told the paper he'd previously threatened to shoot down a neighbor's drone. Another resident, Naydeene Koster, was worried the delivery gadgets would scare livestock, perhaps to the point of self-harm. "I’ve seen horses kill themselves over a flying balloon," she explained. "I’d hate to see the damage a flying drone would cause coming into their area." ## Too Little, Too Late It's worth noting that some community members were curious to see what the drones would look like in-action. Prime Air has seen its fair share of upheaval since its initial 2013 announcement, from [delayed roll-out and poor company morale](), to [obscured crash numbers](), to an [acres-wide Oregon fire]() caused by a defunct drone. And, though an Amazon representative told *WaPo* that the flying devices will meet the FAA's "high safety bar," he also warned that "if someone did shoot down a drone they would have broken the law." **Read More:** [*Amazon drones are coming to town. Some locals want to shoot them.*]() \[Washington Post\] **More on unwelcome drones:** [*Most of Company's Ethics Board Resigns in Disgust Over Taser-Wielding Drones*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()