FBI alert on good morning america green laser

First report on Good morning america TV show about green lasers being shined at airplanes and FBI investigations New York City.
Not good.
What I mean is it was the first story they covered. They said that there's been a dramatic increase in events. No, its not that surprising but is disturbing none the less. Cant stand hearing about these kinds of things.

Now I've been watching/flipping between all the morning news shows for a couple hours now and have seen this reported on every single one of them
What has been interesting is that they are only talking about 532nm lasers. Seems rather odd that no other nm is mentioned. Getting the feeling that the amount of people that are becoming aware that you can purchase a 532nm so inexpensively that will show the entire beam is growing exponentially.
You cannot deny the amazement of what $4 can purchase. It buys a whole lot of trouble for responsible users.

Wow, how long before we see the effects of these new investigations. It's obviously becoming inevitable.

A big part of the problem is the price vs. coolness factor. I mean the first time any of us ever saw a laser that you could actually see the beam with we were blown away. Who wouldn't want to buy one of these when the cost is so little. No need for expensive batteries.
I am seriously wondering if there are some places in N.Y. city that are selling these units in stores and/or off the "streets".
Nothing good can come of it. It's all part of the reason why I am so careful with mine and almost never take one outside and they are in cases and treated with respect.
It's a lot of fun building and enjoying them but I do NOT treat them as harmless "toys" regardless of output.
I have absolutely no issues with foolish people getting in big trouble where appropriate. I do however see an issue with the lack of education/warnings as there are certainly many who purchase these items and are ignorant on safely handling and the laws regarding their usage.
We are responsible for educating others not only on this site but certainly when demonstrating to others. Have to be very discerning concerning who we know in our heart who should not be exposed to their existence. When your gut tells you not to show someone we need to heed that warning as your gut is almost always right (kind of like womens tuition).
It is inevitable that a laser is going to be held responsible for an airplane/helicopter crash at some point. We can try and deny it but it will happen. I realize that no one wants that said aloud but if you think it will never happen you are choosing to be ignorant on purpose. Sickens me. All I can do on my end is to be as responsible as possible.
I don't like that it has to be done but I've got no issues with people who come on this site and think safety and the rules don't apply to them. They deserve to get slammed hard and booted if they will not comply. I think our members do a pretty decent job of taking care of business when this is necessary.

Soon we will all get arrested for having 532nm and we will get searched

Lol women tuition I've been paying that for a while now.
I can't agree more. We see the lack of education every day in the welcome section. These kids have money and no respect for the damage they can do. Sometimes the idea of a permit sounds like a good idea.... Sometimes...
Is it just that I'm so new, or has there been an explosion of "hi from_____, I want _____ and know nothing about it"
Or is this always been the case?

This is serious. Here's the story 17 hours ago :

FBI: Plane laser attacks probed by terrorism unit
Posted: Oct 19, 2013 6:29 AM Updated: Oct 19, 2013 6:30 AM

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - The FBI announced Friday it has assigned its Joint Terrorism Task Force to lead a probe of laser attacks on the cockpits of two planes approaching LaGuardia Airport this week, inviting help from the public as well to fight a growing threat against the nation's air transportation.

"The FBI is asking anyone with information about any of these dangerous laser incidents to pick up the phone and call us," George Venizelos, head of the FBI's New York office, said in a release. "Our paramount concern is the safety of aircraft passengers and crew."

The announcement came along with a report that laser attacks against inbound flights at New York airports have increased 17 percent so far this year, a rising threat because lasers can temporarily or permanently blind a pilot and crew, the FBI said.

The FBI said Friday a reward is available for anyone providing information leading to arrests in the Tuesday evening attacks.

The FBI said the first attack occurred when a Shuttle America cockpit was illuminated by a green laser on its final approach to LaGuardia at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday. The FBI said the crew reported that the laser appeared to originate about a half mile west of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, striking the plane when it was 2,000 feet above ground, about six miles from the runway.

The second incident occurred three hours later when a private aircraft reported a green laser two miles southwest of LaGuardia at 10:37 p.m. as it headed eastbound over the Triborough Bridge. The FBI said the laser originated near the intersection of Broadway and Steinway Street in Queens.

No injuries were reported in either incident, though the FBI noted that several commercial pilots earlier this year suffered significant injuries including a burnt retina.

The probe is being led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes more than 50 local, state and federal agencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced two years ago that it would fine those who point lasers at planes up to $11,000 per violation after reports of people shining hand-held lasers at planes soared, rising from a few hundred instances of laser attacks on planes in 2005 to nearly 3,000 reports in 2010.

The lasers, marketed as tools to point out stars at night, are much more powerful than laser pointers used by lecturers. They can be seen up to 25,000 feet away and are used by bird watchers, astronomers and lecturers to point out faraway objects.

In 2009, a Southern California man was sentenced to 2½ years in a federal prison after he became the first person in the nation convicted at trial of interfering with pilots by aiming lasers at their planes. He had aimed a hand-held laser at two Boeing jets as they were landing in May 2008.

In 2005, a New Jersey man was arrested and charged under the Patriot Act for aiming a green laser at a small jet flying over his home near Teterboro Airport a year earlier. The man, who was eventually sentenced to probation, said he had been using the device to point at the stars from his backyard.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/23731973/fbi-plane-laser-attacks-probed-by-terrorism-unit

Well 532nm is the brightest common wavelength you can get, and also the one that is easiest to obtain in higher powers. Sure the 445nm lasers are available, but they're more expensive and not as mass produced as 532nm lasers. The red lasers are also not that bright to the eyes and wouldn't affect night vision as much as green.

Understand, but I've been used to seeing reports with blue.

Pman said:

I am seriously wondering if there are some places in N.Y. city that are selling these units in stores and/or off the "streets".

Click to expand...

Yes, I bought my first laser pointer on a business trip to new york. A was having lunch at a Fajita cart on the street and he was selling them also, I bought one. That is was brought me here lol.

I also had a local news station reporting it, and it seemed like the news people agreed anyone who shines a laser pointer up is a terrorist. The government thinks that banning these things will stop the attacks...And they are probably right. The issue with that is that it hurts people like us. I personally can never shine a laser up at the sky because I live underneath an air-force training area. It's funny, I moved all the way out to the country so I could do anything I want.. 300 acres away from the closest house, yet the government somehow found a way to bother me.

I say everytime this happens we all point the finger right at good old kipkay... His safety to dipsquat ratio is very lacking.

Lasers in the wrong hands can be bad. If one person in a population of 100,000
people will misuse something, it must be banned. This is called the "At Risk Fallacy". "The government thinks that banning these things will stop the attacks...And they are probably right".(previous post) RIGHT, Just like Knives, poison, clubs or guns -- even a politician driving a car into a river!!!
HM

Hemlock_Mike said:

Lasers in the wrong hands can be bad. If one person in a population of 100,000
people will misuse something, it must be banned. This is called the "At Risk Fallacy". "The government thinks that banning these things will stop the attacks...And they are probably right".(previous post) RIGHT, Just like Knives, poison, clubs or guns -- even a politician driving a car into a river!!!
HM

Click to expand...

This is a slightly different scenario. Guns cannot be banned, Lasers can. Knifes can be made out of anything - Lasers can't. Its very hard to determine who fired a bullet, but when it comes to a laser attack on a plane, its getting easier and easier by the day. There is also no amendment to protect lasers, so linking guns to laser is neither wise for our cause, nor applicable.

because it is so easy to detect people shining lasers out side, a full on ban would without a doubt DRASTICALLY stop the incidents. and within a few years when all the other people are arrested, or their contraband is destroyed, it would stop completely or down to one or two random incidents.

Have you guys seen this?

Dr. Sam is on at 1:34

Government cracks down on laser pointers - Video on NBCNews.com

After all this publicity of course the amount of incidents will increase. The people unaware of the ease of getting the lasers just became aware. " a click away"

It's not good for laser purists who practice safety. See this article "Laser Strikes on Aircraft on Record Pace" dated this year 2013 Feb which shows a series of 4 graphic videos :
- Caught in the Act: Man Arrested for Aiming Laser at Helicopter
- Lasers are Causing Pilots to Fly Blind
- Laser Hazards for Pilots' Landing Planes
- Fighter Jet Crash Caught On Tape
Laser Strikes on Record Pace as San Francisco News Copter Hit Twice in Two Weeks - ABC News

Yes Jacob, that is what was being reported on all the news stations Saturday morning. Glad you posted that so others can see the basics of what I reported on. +REP

My sister called me up last night as she had just seen this report and asked me 2 questions.
Had I seen the report
Will this cause a problem of her receiving the few Fasttech single AAA lasers that she ordered

Answers were yes and I doubt it (especially since it has already passed through California and should be delivered Wednesday or Thursday).