Local News is Spreding fear on Green Lasers again

[InfinitusEquitas]

Not really, all of us were uhm... how should I put it SWW. (Standing While Wobbly):crackup:

Bottom line, though... cops in big cities, and busy areas have enough crap to deal with... so unless they hear from up above to do something about anything... they will only go after situations where there is an actual complaint or their own safety is involved (So to anyone reading this DO NOT shine a red laser at a cop... they will only laugh while beating the $hit out of you).

The guys in NYC have asked me to put a laser away a couple of times... funny thing is, after they played with it, and I gave them the safety lecture. Aside from radio shack 5mW lasers I'm very paranoid about laser safety, so I've never been in a situation where someone actually had a complaint against me.

The big problem will occur if some kind of harsher enforcement guidelines go though. For example if cops are told to treat lasers as equivalent to guns or knives. Than we're SOL

 

[CapeClover]

Not really, all of us were uhm... how should I put it SWW. (Standing While Wobbly):crackup:

Bottom line, though... cops in big cities, busy areas have enough crap to deal with... so unless they hear from up above to do something about anything... they will only go after situations where there is an actual complaint or their own safety is involved (So to anyone reading this DO NOT shine a red laser at a cop... they will only laugh while beating the $hit out of you).

The guys in NYC have asked me to put a laser away a couple of times... funny thing is, after they played with it, and I gave them the safety lecture. Aside from radio shack 5mW lasers I'm very paranoid about laser safety, so I've never been in a situation where someone actually had a complain against me.

The big problem will occur if some kind of harsher enforcement guidelines go though. For example if cops are told to treat lasers and equivalent to guns or knives. Than we're SOL

For the most part I have no need to carry a laser device that is >5mW with me. For most purposes, outside of some home experimenting, a <5mW laser is adequate.. What I am most concerned about is the idea of any and all laser components...pointers, diodes, module's, etc. eventually being banned or being made extremely difficult to get. Unfortunately, when lawmakers make laws, they are often clueless, and make things difficult or impossible for legitimate technologists, hobbyists, etc. I understand the need to make it harder for the clueless to acquire and abuse this technology. But can it be done in a sensible way to allow this technology to exist in the hands of reasonable people at reasonable cost versus outright ordinances, banning's, etc. ? It would be a shame to allow >5mW (i.e. 100mW - >1W) devices to go so far with respect to research, academics, hobbyists and then to suddenly ban them.

 

[laser_freak]

If there is every a widespread ban on lasers, it would not include academics and research.

 

[F35 Lightning II]

I am curious on how lasers would be banned. You can make your own lasers.
._.
Aye?

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Nothing is ever Banned it's only a question of what is required in getting the item.

For example a law that say required mandatory fines of $5000 per incident of using a >5mW laser without a license outdoors. Wouldn't ban lasers, but it would suck... and out of fear people would not approach lasers.

Once demand falls off, after an initial glut of components and low prices... said prices will rise... end result lasers will get even more expensive.

Now toss in a few other regulations, and Voilà our hobby takes a huge hit.

There are a ton of holes in the scenario I presented... but you get the idea... I hope

 

[Razako]

What a load of fear mongering bs. "potential to kill"? Wtf doesn't have the potential to kill. My car has the potential to kill dozens of people if I went into a crowd at full throttle. Let's ban cars.

I like how they make a point about that one guy being an illegal immigrant. Are they trying to suggest that only lawbreakers and thugs use lasers or something?

 

[F35 Lightning II]

What a load of fear mongering bs. "potential to kill"? Wtf doesn't have the potential to kill. My car has the potential to kill dozens of people if I went into a crowd at full throttle. Let's ban cars.

I like how they make a point about that one guy being an illegal immigrant. Are they trying to suggest that only lawbreakers and thugs use lasers or something?

Gangsta Thug "Ohh yeahh bro we got f*ckin 200mW here, hot 2W's here, crazy sh*t here man.
They shoot cleann!

 

[CCorsair]

Well here Sac town they are not selling 200mw laser at the Flea Market but have been selling the 5mw bright greens.and mean bright ones.. I seem red green and some thin are home made blue ray ones that i have turn in as those can burn and yet burn out fast .. one guy buying one for 3rd time .. I don't like they selling to minors on those home made ones. the police were kind of lose to why to go after till I showed them why and why the blueray one were questionable due to them be able to burn. The veneer agreed to not sell to kids with an adult but did not come back and the Flea Market people were happy. WE had a report less than day ago of a guy aiming a Laser at police helicopter the man was an adult and he was sited and fined but not arrested(from what i hear) Not sure of the Laser color or type but the guy may have had criminal record but I not 100% on that.. Like said earlier they are selling 5MW lasers all over town in stores so if they don't want people doing stupid thing they are going to screw it for us all. Laws will be made and our hobble will suffer due to fools.

CC

 

[DrSid]

As for potential to kill .. cars are much more threatened by this. While it for sure would be scary to get dazzled by something like my 400mW green while doing final approach at night, I can break the approach, rather safely.
But imagine it happens to you on highway at night .. not from 1km .. but from 50m, or even closer. You'll be blind for seconds, if not for minutes .. which is live threatening for sure.

 

[Lotus_Darkrose]

Good comment, DrSid. And if there is a rise in drivers being targeted with lasers, and accidents and deaths reported because of it, this hobby will definitely be in danger.

 

[laser_freak]

The relative danger of a laser should not matter. It is the absolute threat, not the relative threat that is dangerous. It is for this reason that saying "____ are more dangerous than lasers, so stop saying lasers are dangerous" is ridiculous and incorrect. Although I am by no means a pilot, I trust the FAA when they say the number of incidents is increasing and is potentially dangerous.

Similar to the above, it does not matter that a pilot probably could "break the approach, rather safely." It is simply an unnecessary risk that should never occur in the first place. Stating that a pilot could simply "break the approach" treats the symptoms, not the actual root of the problem. If you want to point fingers, point them at the idiots who are pointing their lasers at planes. Do not point fingers at the media. The only reason the media are reporting is because of the idiots. To further the analogy, the idiots are the problem, the media are the symptom.

 

[Lotus_Darkrose]

DrSid wasn't denying there is any danger, just giving his perspective since he's a pilot (if I remember correctly).

"Danger" doesn't always mean the worst possible outcome WILL happen. It just means that there's at the very least, a slight chance that outcome could happen.

 

[DrSid]

Yes, let me rephrase it .. I totally agree it is dangerous for airplanes. That is out of discussion.
But if X is amount of danger for airplanes, for cars it is 5X. You will probably get lased from closer, you don't have second pilot around as you do in many planes, and you have things you can crash into in seconds, which is not true in plane for most phases of the flight. In plane you can imagine situation like this: look, some asshole down there is lasing us, lucky we are not landing. In car, you are always landing. Bit of distraction, one jerk of steering wheel .. and you're dead.

Btw. my real-life flying experience is like 5 minutes on Cessna, so I guess it does not make me pilot.

 

[laser_freak]

Yes, let me rephrase it .. I totally agree it is dangerous for airplanes. That is out of discussion.
But if X is amount of danger for airplanes, for cars it is 5X. You will probably get lased from closer, you don't have second pilot around as you do in many planes, and you have things you can crash into in seconds, which is not true in plane for most phases of the flight. In plane you can imagine situation like this: look, some asshole down there is lasing us, lucky we are not landing. In car, you are always landing. Bit of distraction, one jerk of steering wheel .. and you're dead.

Btw. my real-life flying experience is like 5 minutes on Cessna, so I guess it does not make me pilot.

That is a very good point. I wonder how many car-related incidents occur compared to the number of plane-related incidents.

 

[Netscott]

There's a YouTube copy of this report as well:



-Scott

 

[ElektroFreak]

From what I have heard recently, there has been a large increase in the number of laser related airplane incidents in the past year. This is an issue, and I see no reason to dislike the video. Yes they are being melodramatic and may be exaggerating, but isn't that exactly what they need to be in order to stop idiots from pointing lasers at planes?

You are right, it is an issue, but there's never any place for fear-mongering as far as I'm concerned. If you can't make your point while staying realistic, then you shouldn't be trying to make the point in the first place. There's no need for overstating danger or trying to push an agenda by scaring people unnecessarily. There is no difference between exaggerating to make a point and lying to make a point. Both are distortions/absence of the truth.