Hello, I’m From the FDA and I Am Here to Confiscate Your Laser

[Wolfwood]

interesting thought LS.

it is a bit of a stretch though right?

sure it is possible. but someone could also have thrown a shoe at the guy and if they were super awesome knock him out / down / make him turn around or ... Who knows.
(not to mention i can almost guarantee you I wouldn't even remember I had a fancy laser in my pocket. I would have been preoccupied trying to fill my lungs with clean air - and panicking in my pants.)

but really what this sounds like is someone with an agenda using a tragedy as a tool to push that agenda.

it isn't right when the anti-2A crowd uses it against guns. i'm not so sure using it for lasers is much better. although your illustration is intriguing, and I'm sure you weren't trying to capitalize on that terrible loss of life.


------------------------PS------------
we can sit and play what if with that situation all day long.
but think of laser like tracer rounds. the work in both directions. especially in particulate filled atmosphere that laser is going to show exactly where you are. and unless you have a Cpt Kirk like ability your hand phaser is going to give the BG a pretty damn good idea on where to shoot next - while you are trying to maneuver that dot to his pupils - all he has to do is put the other end of that light source in his sight picture and dump a few handfuls of buckshot into it.

 

[landswimmer]

true. a single person with a laser would have been no more, or less effective than a single person with a gun, especially considering the body armour holmes was wearing

but in other situations, like when someone pulls a knife on you, with the obvious exception of having a gun, having a laser may just be the best defence you could have, its hard to chase/stab someone with your eyes closed, and hitting the opponent in the eyes with the laser becomes easy when the lens is removed and the beam becomes much wider

the same applies if someone pulls a gun on you. even if you have a gun, chances are they'll get the first shot off, but they'll be too busy thinking "wtf?" when you pull the laser on them, and when hit by the laser the instinctual reaction will be to cover their eyes

given the fact that there are certain situations where a laser will work better than a gun, it seems a good idea to carry both

if any US citizen gets caught and charged/fined for posessing a laser, they should seek protection under the second ammendment, because it has genuine usefulness as a personal defence weapon, and "they're unsafe" arguments are easily shot down by the fact that guns can easily cause permanent damage, and death, and are protected under the second ammendment, so "ability to cause permanent harm" is not a valid reason for exclusion from second ammendment protection

 

[Bionic-Badger]

A bright laser beam indicating where the laser-toting moron trying to hit the eye of the shooter is. Great idea! I think he'd be an awesome decoy so other people could perhaps escape.

 

[Wolfwood]

if any US citizen gets caught and charged/fined for posessing a laser, they should seek protection under the second ammendment, because it has genuine usefulness as a personal defence weapon, and "they're unsafe" arguments are easily shot down by the fact that guns can easily cause permanent damage, and death, and are protected under the second ammendment, so "ability to cause permanent harm" is not a valid reason for exclusion from second ammendment protection

What would the person be charged with? I wasn't aware it was a crime to build / own / operate lasers here int he good ol' USA...

In any defense situation I can think of - that would require the use of a weapon I can not imagine myself going for my laser.

Also, you aren't going to kill someone with a laser. unless you have A LOT of free time and either a willing or captive target. In the scenarios where deadly force is justified - IE Home Invasion, street muggings, active shooter scenarios, you need to use deadly force not "oh man, I'm having trouble seeing now" you act decisively to stop the threat. That is generally accomplished either through exsanguination (sp?) or incapacitation or destruction of the central nervous system or vital organs. I don't know of an lasers that can do this reliably.

. I know everyone want to use their Q branch edition laser watch to photon dump the BG's optical nerves - or slice an Achilles tendon or two, and i bet it would work really well in a spy flick, but we aren't there yet. one day we will be however.


----------------------
Someone mentioned earlier in this thread that lasers don't have the buddies that guns do.
such as the NRA or GOA. basically the gun lobby. This is true and very important to remember - especially if you want to put lasers into the same category as firearms. You see guns also have some pretty big enemies, IE the Brady Campaign.

I would hate for those jerks to start trying to ruin another one of my hobbies. and without NRA or other heavy lobbyist backing, i fear lasers would be crushed with harsh regulation, and legislation and we end up like Australia.

Think about it. Do you want the ATF in charge of laser rules, or can we stick with the FDA for now?
(hint - go and try to buy a suppressor for your rifle and see how easy it is.... then imagine having to jump through all those extra hoops, as well as pay a $200 tax stamp just to buy a new 50 mw green pointer.)


Wow my fingers are tired...

 

[landswimmer]

maybe my views on the subject are a little skewed because i live in australia, where lasers are already considered weapons and we have no second ammendment to allow citizens to have weapons for self defence

all it takes is one idiot blinding a cop, and lasers become public enemy number one, and when that happens, the second ammendment may be the only thing standing in the way of "possession of high powered laser" being a criminal offence

 

[ARG]

Fire host blocked me from deleting post.

 

[Wolfwood]

maybe my views on the subject are a little skewed because i live in australia, where lasers are already considered weapons and we have no second ammendment to allow citizens to have weapons for self defence

Im sorry to hear that man.

The main thing here is that in the USA the second amendment (not to mention the rest of the constitution) is under attack constantly.

Think about it - you guys classified lasers as weapons. Bam - lasers are banned.

If we classify lasers as weapons they are automatically subjected to all kinds of new regulations. (most of which is generally geared against 2A freedoms and rights) So even if you think a laser could be used effectively as a weapon - (a view i do not share. at least anything under 80-100 watts at a guess) classifying it as such will only serve to limit our freedoms more.

Limitations, conditions and regulations, and requirements are the enemies of Freedom and Equality.

 

[Laser Smith]

On more than one occasion I've used my 2.5w+ 445nm to seal rubber tubing, or repair damaged/cracked tubing, under the hood of cars. (i.e. vacuum lines, return lines)

 

[Wolfwood]

now that's awesome.

 

[ARG]

Another good practical use for lasers is removing helium balloons from a celling.

I volunteer at a charity auction each year and there are lots of balloons, inevitably some of them go up to the ceiling. We cannot leave them up there because when the security system is on at night the balloons falling from the ceiling set it off.

So instead of using the massive step ladder and retrieving every balloon by hand I brought my 500mW laser and popped the balloons on the ceiling.
Of course, the only people left in the room were myself and the volunteer coordinator and we both had eye protection.