Horry County (Myrtle Beach, SC) Considers Banning Lasers

Horry County (Myrtle Beach, SC) Considers Banning Lasers
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Posted Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 - MyrtleBeachOnline.com - By Brad Dickerson
Horry County to Consider Banning Certain Lasers
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MB surpasses Las Vegas in number of strikes on aircraft
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CONWAY -- Horry County officials will consider banning certain lasers after U.S. Coast Guard officials addressed the Horry County Committee of the Whole Tuesday and stressed that the Grand Strand has one of the biggest problems nationwide with green laser hits.

Paul Whitten, director of Horry County Public Safety, said there have been 70 strikes by green lasers on aircraft landing at Myrtle Beach International Airport since the middle of May.

That number of strikes has led to Myrtle Beach’s airport surpassing the one in Las Vegas as the No. 1 airport for laser incidents in the country, said Capt. Mike White, with the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Charleston.

“We’re at the point that we’re going to get somebody hurt or killed very shortly,” Whitten said

Whitten said staff is looking at developing an ordinance that bans any laser with a power wattage greater than one milliwatt. He plans to bring a proposed ordinance before County Council at their Sept. 4 meeting

County and municipal governments have been addressing the green laser issue over the last several weeks to try and come up with a solution. The talks came on the heels of the Coast Guard announcing that the Grand Strand is a high risk area and they will limit service.
In the past few weeks, there have been three cases where Coast Guard pilots were forced to land their aircraft during search and rescue operations after being hit with lasers.

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Signs advertising green laser pointers at the Exotic Party Shop off Ocean Boulevard on Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in Myrtle Beach. Photo by Janet Blackmon Morgan / jblackmon@thesunnews.com


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Whitten added that it’s not just aircraft pilots that are impacted, but also drivers on the roadways. Additionally, hoteliers are having issues with people shining lasers into guests’ rooms, he said.
“It’s everywhere,” Whitten said
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Last edited by madmacmo; 08-15-2012 at 04:27 AM.

When lasers are outlawed only outlaws will have lasers.

Can't wait till this becomes a national issue :undecided:

Love this post... sure your allowed your opinion, but so does everyone else 5mW laser bringing down a blackhawk I just don't see it even if it was pot modded. I certainly don't condone this as it's bad for the hobby. I'm thinking out of all my hobbies, and I have a few, this one is in the most danger right now.

We need to get organized and start to protect our interest, but it's hard as an adult with all the problems in the world (even though I want to) to stand on a soapbox and demand that we have the right to openly display our dangerous high powered handheld units. People in congress would LOL if we tried to educate or exercise our right to pursue this very entailing hobbie of ours.

For all those who would want to bash when I state "openly display" I meant of course with reserve to all whom might be effected while displaying said device. SAFTEY first.:na:

Coast96



So you would rather a plane crash into a hotel, that to give up your green
laser. I hope with all my heart you are not an educator, because sir/madam, you
seem to be an idiot. USE YOU DANG FINGER TO POINT. A red laster....a yard
stick...and stick all of your green lasers up your ......nose. you are not part of the problem....people like you ARE the problem.

Read more here: CONWAY - Horry County to consider banning certain lasers - Politics - MyrtleBeachOnline.com

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Why don't they just equip the helicopters with lasers too? When they get lased, they can lase back. Being a helicopter, they should be able to fit a pretty powerful laser on there.

Seriously, though, people don't understand how hazardous it can be. 5mW of green, expanded out and flashed in your eyes, still very bright and enough to ruin your night vision for a good 10 minutes. I don't know about you, but if I'm flying a chopper over water, I don't want my pilot flying "blind" for 10 minutes....

Wouldn't be the first place to ban lasers in the US unfortunately.

If they limit the ban only to green lasers, it would be interesting though.

Speaking from experience, Myrtle Beach is BAD and this actually really needed to happen.

If you're walking on the beach at night, you're guaranteed to have people pointing lasers at you from up in the hotels. People also like to stand on the beach and light up hotels (and evidently aircraft too).

This happens because ~20-50mW green lasers are sold on the boardwalks to kids and adults alike. If the sales stopped, the problems would largely stop.

I'm loathe to admit it, but this is good news for the area.

Trevor

I posted a thread about myrtle beach and lasers a while ago. I was walking on the beach and got hit 10 or 12 times by multiple random green lasers. I hope they ban them at myrtle beach . They sell potentially 5-50/100mW green lasers to 9 year olds who go shine them at people's faces for fun. Good riddens if you ask me

A nine year old shouldn't have this as much as he shouldn't be running around with a loaded pistol. there should be regulation but not total ban and consequences for one's own actions. anyway I shoot back with ten fold power toward the source

Most people don;t understand the power and potential danger of a laser. If the item is sold openly to kids and adults who don;t even know what a laser is. People will assume that since they are cheap, easy to get, come with no warning or restrictions that it is just a harmless little toy that can be shone at cars, planes, boats, and peoples faces. The general public is basically clueless andlacking in common sense when it comes to stuff such as lasers.