RICHMOND, Va.— A Virginia lawmaker is trying to shoot down unmanned “drone” aircraft that might prowl the skies over private lands snooping on hunters below.

Sen. Frank Ruff of Mecklenberg County says his bill was inspired by a news story of an animal-rights group flying a small, remote-controlled plane carrying a video camera over a hunt club in Pennsylvania where captive pigeons were released and shot down. That drone was also shot from the skies.

Ruff says what he calls drones aren’t the sophisticated and deadly aircraft the military deploys over war zones. They’re small hobbyist planes with pouches for small cameras or smart phones.

While the bill was targeted initially to protect hunter privacy, it might be expanded to prohibit aerial snooping over fenced backyards, swimming pools and other private venues.

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