Lasers as a Weapon?

JamTKD · May 14, 2012

So a friend of mine who goes to college in a pretty shady neighborhood was thinking about getting a gun in his home. He then said he was considering getting a laser, instead.

Is this legal? If somebody breaks into your house and threatens you with a gun could you technically use a laser as self defense? Pretty crazy, but I have no idea what the legality on this matter is, and I had no idea what to tell him.

Stix62 · May 14, 2012

JamTKD said:
So a friend of mine who goes to college in a pretty shady neighborhood was thinking about getting a gun in his home. He then said he was considering getting a laser, instead.

Is this legal? If somebody breaks into your house and threatens you with a gun could you technically use a laser as self defense? Pretty crazy, but I have no idea what the legality on this matter is, and I had no idea what to tell him.

Hmmm, well I suppose you could try and club them over the head with it whilst they were rolling around on the floor laughing. Gun V Laser is a no contest.
The legality of anyone breaking into your home is 'justifiable force' to remove them in most countries as far as I know. Use whatever is on hand, though if someone points a gun at you, unless you're pointing one back, just do as they say

TheReddish · May 14, 2012

JamTKD said:
So a friend of mine who goes to college in a pretty shady neighborhood was thinking about getting a gun in his home. He then said he was considering getting a laser, instead.

Is this legal? If somebody breaks into your house and threatens you with a gun could you technically use a laser as self defense? Pretty crazy, but I have no idea what the legality on this matter is, and I had no idea what to tell him.

well as for it being legal, I would say no, as far as a defense weapon, come back in 10 years, I live in a shady neighborhood, best way I can think of to use a laser as a defense weapon is to hit them with it, they have good mass. the only thing I can see someone doing with a laser is blinding them, a blinded person enrage and elevate the issue, I use the most powerful weapon I have to stop messed up stuff from happening to me, my words. Seems to work. Lasers have many uses but, I think they suck as weapons, if you could make a laser that could kill someone, it would blind everyone in the room from scattered and reflected light.

InfinitusEquitas · May 14, 2012

You ever heard the old saying... don't bring a knife to a gun fight?

Same goes for lasers. Except a knife is a lot more dangerous in experienced hands.

JamTKD · May 14, 2012

While I understand a gun is much more "persuasive" than a laser, I can also appreciate the ease it would take to wipe a laser across somebody's face and blind them, as opposed to killing them.

TheReddish · May 14, 2012

What does your friend own worth someones eyes, or life for that matter. a cell phone makes a good weapon if someone is breaking in dial 911. Besides whats the worse that could happen, tell your "friend" to grow a pair

don't be all scared of folks, and remember, keep you nose clean and it won't get broken.

InfinitusEquitas · May 14, 2012

JamTKD said:
While I understand a gun is much more "persuasive" than a laser, I can also appreciate the ease it would take to wipe a laser across somebody's face and blind them, as opposed to killing them.

So let's play out this scenario...

Armed assailant enters your home in the middle of the night.

You (your friend) grab a laser, and proceed to investigate.

You shine the laser at your attacker.

Attacker goes, :wtf: upon seeing the beam, and shoots at where the beam is coming from.

You die.

Despite what the media would have you believe, a handheld laser will not work to completely blind someone. At most you will damage one eye severely and another less.

Getting hit by a laser, is also NOT painful, especially not to someone running on adrenaline.

What you will be left with is an assailant who is that much more pissed off, and will do more damage to you.

If you're worried, get better locks, an alarm system, and a gun as a last resort.

Using a laser you're just asking for a lot of trouble.

TheReddish · May 14, 2012

I have lived in a crap load of bad neighborhoods, because mostly I am single and rent is cheap, never once had someone break into my house, my theory why break in if you live in the ghetto, its not like their is much to rob. Plus the bonus is if I want I have access to the black market, I can get smart phone, tritium exit signs, diy prescription meds, herbal med, antibiotics, gold, copper, aluminum and, I do my part, lasers. Though I refuse most sales on the grounds of ppl talking about blinding folks. All at prices you cannot find anywhere.

besides the grass always look greener on the other side, kind like relativity though once you get to the other side its just like everywhere else.

JamTKD · May 14, 2012

TheReddish said:
What does your friend own worth someones eyes, or life for that matter. a cell phone makes a good weapon if someone is breaking in dial 911. Besides whats the worse that could happen, tell your "friend" to grow a pair don't be all scared of folks, and remember, keep you nose clean and it won't get broken.

A guy on his street had his house broken into and he was shot in the leg. "grow a pair" doesn't go over so well in the slums of Detroit.

TheReddish · May 14, 2012

JamTKD said:
A guy on his street had his house broken into and he was shot in the leg. "grow a pair" doesn't go over so well in the slums of Detroit.

I got hit by lightning, your point, I am not worried about it happening again, or was I worried that it was going to happen, all I am saying is random ppl don't break into a house and shoot ppl for no reason, but anything could happen. I don't sweat it, and ppl that need weapons to feel safe are just paranoid. ppl win the lotto I know the odds so I don't play, saves me a ton of money, same thing here.

AJ_Dual · May 14, 2012

I would suggest one of the gonzo-bright flashlight modifications that can be done with a 6-D cell Maglight body. (You buy a borofloat UCL glass lens, solid aluminum reflector, and some sort of Welch Allen bulb, and stick a ton of impedance matched AA NiMh's into those 4-cell D battery sized dummy bodies.

I think it's called the "Mag 85" too lazy to google. But I'm sure the searching will turn up the appropriate Candlepowerforums.com threads. Or whatever common "Son of Mag 85" they've come up with since.

At any rate, these flashlights can start a ball of paper on fire at 6" and should meet your friend's needs quite nicely, and you don't have the issue of trying to steer a narrow laser beam into a moving attacker/invader's eyes. Nor do you have to worry for your own safety from specular surface reflections blinding him either.

And a 6-cell maglight body makes for one hell of an improvised impact weapon too.

T_Warne · May 14, 2012

^ Best idea yet.

JamTKD · May 14, 2012

TheReddish said:
all I am saying is random ppl don't break into a house and shoot ppl for no reason

I don't know where you're from, but yes, people DO break into people's houses and shoot them.

Straight up ignorance.

And thanks AJ, i'll run that by him.

TheReddish · May 14, 2012

lol on a photonic disruptor, though, I seem to remember a strobe light I used to replace on a ah54d, would blind the hell out of some one at 6' powering it would be difficult, but would love to see one in a mag light with a good reflector. I have had someone turn them on while I was installing them in the aircraft, I had after images for 3 days. I think an anti collision lights would make an decent light weapon at close range. I think I would toss cookies hit by this in a small room. Any way their is my take on a light weapon for non lethal defense.

Oh and yes it does hurt to get hit by a 4d maglight in the noggin trust me

TheReddish · May 14, 2012

JamTKD said:
I don't know where you're from, but yes, people DO break into people's houses and shoot them.

Straight up ignorance.

And thanks AJ, i'll run that by him.

you are smoking rocks dude. I would not call some one ignorant when you are on a laser forum talking about blinding ppl. I carried am M16 in Iraq they have bad neighborhoods, and you are saying because murder is one of the least likely ways to die, that ppl should keep a weapon in case they win the negative lotto.

Do you know the odds of someone breaking in your house in the US and shooting you? N GENERAL, NON-SPECIFIC TERMS: Based on the most recent Uniform Crime Report (compiled by the FBI), you have about a .000054 chance per year (nationwide, local stats are varied). multiplying that by the average life span (about 70 years), you get about a .00378 chance of being murdered in your lifetime.

Save your money, is my best advise, Telling your "friend" to grow a pair may have been uncalled for but my advise is sound and yes I used to be like you and know everything, but then I acquired knowledge and now I don't know near as much as I used too.

InfinitusEquitas · May 14, 2012

You acquired wisdom and experience :beer:

I'm still very much in favor of having a gun in the house, in the event of a zombie invasion! After all, 50% chance that it will happen. :na:

Lasers as a Weapon?

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