laser ban in the USA?

Hello everyone!

So I went to CNI laser to purchase one of their fine laser products. So when I got an email back from the sales department they said they are not allowed to send lasers over 5mw into the usa is that true? Or did I do something wrong?

Technically correct, for portables. Were you looking for a portable without safety interlocks? (i.e. a GLP/pen style?) Otherwise, as far as I know, they have FDA accession on their lasers that include keys/time delays/shutters/interlocks; and those are legal to import.

Though for some reason, a good portion of the population around here considers interlocks "for pussies" and won't be caught dead waiting 5 seconds for a beam of directed energy, so, if you were looking for a laser with the ability to perforate a hound-dog from 200 yards within 3 milliseconds, then, what CNI said was likely the case.

Give us some details and we can probably decode it a bit more. Exactly what laser were you looking at getting from CNI? I suppose it's also possible that CNI recently ran into some trouble with their FDA accession; I hope that isn't the case.

Just wanted to purchase. PGL III 200mw 532nm and I thought that all there lasers came in with those safety features?

Hmm. Very odd. Did you inform them that you were OK with the interlocks? Tell them that you are OK with the FDA safety features?

You can always go through Laserglow to get what's essentially (well, it is, Aries = PGL III) but you'll pay more....

Who did you email?

I mistakenly deleted the email and didn't think much of it at that point. I did not specify with the safety features. I talked to the online support and told them I was interested in purchasing the laser and he just said he said I wasn't aloud to purchase it since it was above 5mw and he said if I was interested in buying the 5 mw version.

Think he confused USA with Austrilia?

No, in Australia the limit would be 1mw.

The same thing happened to me when I was trying to purchase one of there 20mw 589nm laser. I decided to invest that money into 150mw 473nm.

I went over this on another thread:

"Well the debate can continue until the cows come home but once the FDA announces all portable/pointer lasers fall under 21 CFR 1040.11(b) anything more powerful than 5mW will be outright banned regardless of safety features. Previously you could import a class IIIb portable laser if it had an accession number, meaning it met the requirements of the FDA for class IIIb operation. Class IV portables were never legal to import nor were pointers of any power greater than class IIIa. If the FDA classifies all portables/pointers under 1040.11(b) surveying, leveling, alignment lasers all will become illegal to import or sell. There is no federal law or regulation against building your own laser so in reality only those who have an understanding of electronics or lasers will be building them with a higher probability that these individuals will use them in a more responsible manner. It it currently illegal to build and sell a laser without a product report but enforcement at the hobby level has been minor. I think the FDA will make an example or two out of those selling lasers without a product report or selling lasers in excess of 1040.11(b) regulations."

http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/debate-ban-laser-pointers-66965.html