Do you carry your laser as self defense at night?

[lasersbee]

When i get my laser, I will carry my 1W Blue laser around. One flash and hurty eyes.

What are you.... like 9 years old...:thinking:
Get with the program....:undecided:

Jerry

 

[Lase]

When i get my laser, I will carry my 1W Blue laser around. One flash and prision time and a hefty fine, plus a crimnal record.

Fix'd

Not to mention the ass-kicking you'd receive from the person you lased. Ever tried to hit a moving target in the eye? Once they know it's you with the laser, it becomes useless as a weapon... unless you have this 1100gm monster.

It's people like you that have made it so that legitimate hobbyists can't get a break in this country.

Lase

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

When i get my laser, I will carry my 1W Blue laser around. One flash and hurty eyes.

Clearly you thought long and hard about the benefits of lasers in self protection.

As I said in the neg rep... enjoy having it showed up your rectum after you "hurty" your attacker's eyes.

 

[bennett326]

crap i +reped him on accident :facepalm:

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

This is a long, ongoing, thread, but I just ran across it and I feel I need to chime in...

For those of you who think it would be a good idea to carry a laser for self defense: THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA! don't do it.

I am ex military, and studied law enforcement for years. This is only another variant of the same issue that always comes up; "What am I allowed to do if someone attacks me?"

I'll try to explain this without too much specific legal language, but there are cases where the language is important.

IF you are actually attacked, and you feel you are in "fear of imminent bodily harm" you are legally allowed to do anything in order to stop your attacker. To put it simply, if you are in a position where someone has the ability and the intent to harm you, you have every right to to use any means available up to and including lethal force. If you are walking in the park at night and someone jumps out of a bush and grabs you, you can kill them.

That said, you must be able to articulate exactly why you thought you were in imminent danger; you must be able to explain it to someone else. In any real situation, this will not be a problem. The only time gray areas arise is when someone appears to have used unnecessary force. If someone approaches you at night and asks you the time, and you immediately shoot them, you may be held accountable. Maybe they just wanted to know what time it was. If however, you believe they intended to attack you, you are allowed to defend yourself by any means. If you had real reason to believe this, articulating your reasons will be simple.

By Any Means: This is where lasers fit in.

Sure, a laser may be a useful tool if it is the only means you have available, but intentionally choosing and carrying a laser for the purpose of self defense is a profoundly stupid idea!

1) If you intentionally blast someone in the eye with a 2W laser, you will do immediate and permanent damage to their retinas. Using a level of force which causes permanent damage is very near to the level of lethal force. If you seriously feel you NEED to permanently destroy someones eyesight in order to defend yourself, you would be equally justified in shooting them.

2) While lasers are capable of stunning or disabling an attacker, there are MUCH better tools available for the same purpose! Think about it; a laser emits what is basically a 1 dimensional beam of light. In order to be effective as a self defense tool, you would need to line that beam of light up with the the pupils of your attackers. If you shine it in his face, you might surprise him a little, but in order to disable him, you would need to hit BOTH of his pupils for a long enough duration to damage his retinas. In a real situation, this would be an extremely difficult thing to do.

A high powered flashlight is a FAR superior tool for disabling someone's vision at night. A flashlight emits a 2 dimensional beam of light, which is easily used to TEMPORARILY blind someone at night. A flashlight could be used when use of lethal force may be in question. If someone approaches you at night and makes you feel uneasy, blast them with a surefire, or a JayRob Maglight, and run. If they really wanted to know what time it was, then they will be slightly upset, and probably really confused, but not permanently blind.

Pepper Spray is also a very effective tool to temporarily disable someone in order to escape. I can personally attest to the fact that Pepper spray hurts! If you want to inflict the most amount of pain possible, without causing permanent damage, use Pepper spray. I have seen people get shot by real bullets and become only slightly disabled, while the same person was later 99% disabled by pepper spray. It's effective and it's temporary making it an ideal tool for self defense.

If you want to carry a tool capable of permanently harming at attacker carry a Gun!. It is (federally) legal (in the US) to carry firearms as long as they are not concealed. If you carry a gun openly in a hip holster, not only are you within the law, but you are going to deter nearly every attacker who might want to do you harm. You may also get a concealed carry license if you don't want to display it. However, check your local laws before buying or carrying a firearm!

Swords? Really? I guess these would also be an effective deterrent. I wouldn't want to attack a guy with a katana strapped across his back. But keep in mind that every normal person you encounter will be extremely wierded out by this. I may not attack you, but I certainly wont take you seriously as a human being either! Unless you are an actual Ninja, I would advise against this. Local laws apply here to, so make sure you are within the law if you chose to carry a sword.

Personally, I carry a knife everywhere I go, but not for self defense. They have practical value but may double as a self defense tool as well. Realize though that knives may be considered lethal force. They are also probably the #1 weapon that will be taken away and used against YOU! Don't carry one unless you know how to handle it properly.

Lastly; If you are so concerned with your safety that you fear going outside, DON'T GO OUTSIDE! If you really feel like you live in such a dangerous area, make better decisions. Don't put yourself at risk. Avoiding a dangerous situation is the only 100% effective self defense method.
If you MUST put yourself in a dangerous situation, find something better than a laser for a self defense tool.

Be smart people, think things through!

 

[HIMNL9]

^ Well, in other countries perhaps peoples CAN defend themselves, at least ..... Here in Italy we have one of the worse laws about this, that include the concept of "excess of self defense" at its extreme interpretation.

Here, if you are attacked, what you can do is use "the less possible force for try to stop the attacker, always proportioned to the nature of the attack", nothing more ..... and also, the concept of "excess" of defense is not stated, is left to the free interpretation of the judge that judicate you after you defended yourself (always, no exceptions).

This mean that, as example, if someone attack you with a gun, you need to left the attacker shoot for first, before react with your own gun, otherwise it's automatically your guilty ..... also, you must be sure that your bullets hit the attacker from frontal direction, otherwise YOU are the assassin

I'm not kidding ..... a year or so ago, here, a jeweler got robbed, and the robber shooted him escaping ..... the jeweler replied to fire, but the robber was turning, so the bullet hit him from the side (side, not shoulders), and killed him ..... the judges charged the jeweler for "voluntary homicide" (i think in the USA is defined "first degree homicide", but i'm not sure about the definition), sentencing that when the bullet hit the robber, it was turning for escape, so the jeweler had "no valid reasons for shoot him" (this, after the robbery and after the robber shooted the jeweler)

EDIT: also pepper sprays here are almost banned ..... only some types allowed ..... and stun-guns are illegals too

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

I'm not kidding ..... a year or so ago, here, a jeweler got robbed, and the robber shooted him escaping ..... the jeweler replied to fire, but the robber was turning, so the bullet hit him from the side (side, not shoulders), and killed him ..... the judges charged the jeweler for "voluntary homicide" (i think in the USA is defined "first degree homicide", but i'm not sure about the definition), sentencing that when the bullet hit the robber, it was turning for escape, so the jeweler had "no valid reasons for shoot him" (this, after the robbery and after the robber shooted the jeweler)

EDIT: also pepper sprays here are almost banned ..... only some types allowed ..... and stun-guns are illegals too

Note to self... Stay the F*CK out of Croatia.

Seriously, it's ridiculous, the guy was fired upon and returned fire... so sentencing him for it.... :wtf:

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

@HIMNL9
That does bring up a good point. I am speaking of US law, it is important to know the laws where you live. That sounds like a terrible situation in Italy. The fact still remains however, that using a laser to permanently destroy the eyesight of an attacker (assuming you are able to hit him directly in the eyes, which is unikely) is a very high level of force. So, unless your attacker is armed with a firearm, you would be using excessive force. If pepper spay and stun guns are illegal, carry a powerful flashlight or a crescent wrench... not a laser.

 

[Ghostchrome]

If you want to carry a tool capable of permanently harming at attacker carry a Gun!. It is (federally) legal (in the US) to carry firearms as long as they are not concealed. If you carry a gun openly in a hip holster, not only are you within the law, but you are going to deter nearly every attacker who might want to do you harm. You may also get a concealed carry license if you don't want to display it. However, check your local laws before buying or carrying a firearm!

My state sucks...

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

NJ/NY both suck when it comes to guns.

 

[Fiddy]

Sure, a laser may be a useful tool if it is the only means you have available, but intentionally choosing and carrying a laser for the purpose of self defense is a profoundly stupid idea!

1) If you intentionally blast someone in the eye with a 2W laser, you will do immediate and permanent damage to their retinas. Using a level of force which causes permanent damage is very near to the level of lethal force. If you seriously feel you NEED to permanently destroy someones eyesight in order to defend yourself, you would be equally justified in shooting them.

2) While lasers are capable of stunning or disabling an attacker, there are MUCH better tools available for the same purpose! Think about it; a laser emits what is basically a 1 dimensional beam of light. In order to be effective as a self defense tool, you would need to line that beam of light up with the the pupils of your attackers. If you shine it in his face, you might surprise him a little, but in order to disable him, you would need to hit BOTH of his pupils for a long enough duration to damage his retinas. In a real situation, this would be an extremely difficult thing to do.

What i carry and intend to do is, have my 300mW 445 laser on a 3hZ strobe with an unfocussed beam, i reckon it would stun an attacker rather well at night.

 

[HIMNL9]

@HIMNL9
That does bring up a good point. I am speaking of US law, it is important to know the laws where you live. That sounds like a terrible situation in Italy. The fact still remains however, that using a laser to permanently destroy the eyesight of an attacker (assuming you are able to hit him directly in the eyes, which is unikely) is a very high level of force. So, unless your attacker is armed with a firearm, you would be using excessive force. If pepper spay and stun guns are illegal, carry a powerful flashlight or a crescent wrench... not a laser.

I agree with you that carrying a laser for self-defense is nor practical nor a good idea from legal side ..... i always carry a laser, sometimes more than one, but never intended them for self defense, anyway.

Times ago, i built a "dazzler" with a green laser module, but this is a totally different thing ..... it was a 150mW module in a "cigarette size" box, modified for make a "rectangular" spot approx 10x20cm at 2 meters, and drived in quick pulses ..... still not the better self defense item, but that way it can temporarily blind without permanent damage, at least ..... i also used one of the Ca*io red leds with one of its lenses for build something similar (flashed, not CW) ..... i think they are still sleeping hidden somewhere in the mess i have here ..... but there was not too much sense in carrying them around, if not for the smaller size, cause i also always have a "recoil thrower" torch that works decently for this purpose

Same for the knives ..... i always have 2 or 3 small ones in the various pockets, but never considered them as "self defense items", for me are just tools (also cause, basically, in the time one need for take out the knife from the pocket and open it, i think i can easily stab him 4 or 5 times with the pocket screwdriver, or hit him the same times with anything i have handy at the moment, or throw on his face all that what come in hand, or also just kick him you-know-where ..... infinite possibilities in infinite combinations )

 

[TheReddish]

I was hit by my one of my own lasers, a 1.6w 445nm, I was 190 feet away, and it was like I got hit with a camera flash, I had to close my eyes for a minute to get my night vision back.
So While being dangerous its quite effective. He wanted to buy it and I let him try it out after giving him a do and don'ts about lasers, and let him use a cheap pair of goggles, I had to run to the store for smokes, and I came back the asshat was letting his dog chase the beam and swung it in my eye on accident from way down the road.
I came to ask why he was shining like a mad man around his yard. I did not end up selling it to him To describe what I saw is like this, the beam looked like little dim blue search light until it hit me, then it was a white flash and blue TV fuzz and no night vision. Quite effective, I could not see to shoot if I had a gun.

Its hard to sell lasers for me in my area, I really can't trust anyone with them, Some one came over to show me a geen they got from ebay it was sold as 150mw but not even close we talking at least 350mw plus no ir filter. First thing he does shining the beam at night to show me and aims at a Aircraft. I live next to a place airforce-one lands at can you imagine the shit storm that would have went down. SO final is NO i do not carry for self defense, to much risk. Hell first time I lit a smoke with a 445nm, I burned a dot on my forehead

 

[Arayan]

Times ago, i built a "dazzler" with a green laser module, but this is a totally different thing ..... it was a 150mW module in a "cigarette size" box, modified for make a "rectangular" spot approx 10x20cm at 2 meters, and drived in quick pulses .....

do you think that this could be legal in Italy??

 

[HIMNL9]

do you think that this could be legal in Italy??

Well, it's a good question .....

TECHNICALLY speaking, it's no more a laser pointer, cause the lenses turns the "beam" in a large "conical rectangle" , and this is permanent, so the agents cannot claim you're using a laser pointer ..... but, i also seen so much bullshits in tribunal sentences, that probably a judge stupid enough can be found for sentence that you are still using a pointer just cause originally the module was designed for this ..... and this is also the reason for which the second experiment was done using a "phlatlight" led

It was looking a bit less "efficent" (at least at first sight) than green laser, but just cause green light is more "visible" than red ..... i can assure you that at night, when you get flashed, you need like 40 seconds or more for start to see again good ..... less in daylight, cause the iris is already more "closed" than in night or darkness, but still it left a blue/green spot that need some time for disappear

 

[Arayan]

Well, it's a good question .....

TECHNICALLY speaking, it's no more a laser pointer, cause the lenses turns the "beam" in a large "conical rectangle" , and this is permanent, so the agents cannot claim you're using a laser pointer ..... but, i also seen so much bullshits in tribunal sentences, that probably a judge stupid enough can be found for sentence that you are still using a pointer just cause originally the module was designed for this ..... and this is also the reason for which the second experiment was done using a "phlatlight" led

It was looking a bit less "efficent" (at least at first sight) than green laser, but just cause green light is more "visible" than red ..... i can assure you that at night, when you get flashed, you need like 40 seconds or more for start to see again good ..... less in daylight, cause the iris is already more "closed" than in night or darkness, but still it left a blue/green spot that need some time for disappear

OK, I had this doubt for much time