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Thread: Great! FBI zaps couple for shining laser at cop helicopter

  1. #1
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    Default Great! FBI zaps couple for shining laser at cop helicopter

    "When the light hit the cockpit, it disoriented the Kern County Sheriff’s pilot, causing pain and discomfort in his eyes for a couple of hours, the FBI said in a statement."

    I wish they would stick to lighting matches and popping balloons.

    http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/23237

    Chad


    When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.


  2. #2
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    Thumbs down

    Actions like this will put a hamper on our fun soon.......if something is not done. I guess we will soon have to obtain a permit to get a laser......
    You are the only one that can make your dreams come true....and the only one that can stop them...A.M. Dietrich

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by MechEng3 View Post
    Actions like this will put a hamper on our fun soon.......if something is not done. I guess we will soon have to obtain a permit to get a laser......
    Which is something I am completely O.K. with! I would love to see lasers having to be registered like guns. I know I use mine safely! I have been asked to use my laser multiple times, and I take pride in my knowledge of the law.

    One of the links on that site links to a story about a 13 year old that did the same thing! WTF... seriously... parents need to step in. If I have kids my lasers will be locked up just like a gun would.

    And I would much rather have to go through a registration process that takes 2 weeks than to have my lasers taken away completely!

    -my two cents

  4. #4
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    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
    Infinitus Excellentia Ion Laser Dominatus
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    in the olden days, when there was only argons, this didnt happen. You needed a modicum of skill and common sense to get a argon going and a huge extension cord.
    Then came yags, and irresponsibile operators in Los Vegas, getting the FAA involved.

    now there are cheap chinese lasers and proliferation from the likes of "wicked Lasers" etc You can get a green laser pointer higher then class IIIB now, and much easier then you can get a legal or illegal AK-47

    Now we got a problem.

    Portable green lasers as Stunning/blinding weapons have been used by gangs in Taiwan and the Philippine Islands

    BTW, a lot of chinese laser companies are shared enterprises with the Peoples Liberation Army, so just who are you funding when ya buy a greenie?

    Steve Roberts

  5. #5
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    the claims of "pain and discomfort in his eyes for a couple of hours" or eye damage from a plane flying at thousands of feet away from a laser, almost any handheld power laser ridiculous.

    Sure you can flashblind the pilot, but you aren't going to do much more than that. You'd have a hard enough time hitting the pilot in the first place, and even then actually being able to keep it on them long enough for any real damage to occur.

    This is a nation of hypochondriacs and adults who grew up watching star wars and believe the hollywood laser crap. It's such a joke to hear the claims these fools can come up with.

    With the Vegas incident some of the pilots were just as irresponsible as the operators flying their planes deliberately into the lasers to get a look at them.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by MechEng3 View Post
    Actions like this will put a hamper on our fun soon.......if something is not done. I guess we will soon have to obtain a permit to get a laser......

    problem is lasers permeate our society now. every modern household probably has several laser devices at home. The powers are getting higher and higher too. Even if lasers are banned or heavily regulated, they will still be available to the ones who seek to use them for maliciousness. Just like firearms or anything else. We don't need new regulations, we need to enforce what we already have.

  7. #7
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    What about an age law. Make it law you must be 18 to buy a laser. Like drinking, smoking and driving. Those three things all cause hundereds of thousdands of deaths every year, but we are ALL still allowed to do it, but after a certain age. Obvioulsy you'll have the obvious under age laserists.

    Perhaps sellers like wicked lasers should step in a make an effort to educate its consumer base on laser safefy and stop glamourising the use of lasers.

  8. #8
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    Cool

    Ever seen any "funny" videos on Break.com, Ebaumsworld, YouTube, or whatever other social networking site you prefer, where "adults" are doing stupid things with cars, firearms, and explosives? Yeah, thought so... Just wait 'till those idiots buy a souped-up laser pointer!

    The problem is that there is a certain percentage of the population that will do *DUMB* things no matter what. Waiting until they are 18 won't stop them. Hell, just yesterday I saw a video of a guy that jumped over a creek in his backyard in his Suzuki Samurai! The car had to be at least 10 ft off the ground! It's a wonder he wasn't killed... (He did make the jump, BTW.) The dude had to be in his 30's at least...

    With people that that in the general population, you're going to have problems - period. It sucks that we have to deal with the fallout, but that's the trade-off for being able to buy cheap lasers. (Everyone else can buy them too.)

    I'm not sure a "laser registry" would help at all. And there's no funding available for an approved "Laser Safety Class" that would be required prior to purchase... No, I think the best we can do is to educate people when these stories come out. Write your newspaper and correct the errors. Talk to your neighbors. And for Christ's sake don't ever shine your lasers up into the air, especially if there are planes around! Lead by example, as it were.

    Wicked Lasers could take a more pro-active stance and offer a little "training" right on their website. That might help too... But they seem to be a bit too cavalier for that.

    Adam

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    Trying to outlaw lasers would be futile.
    At the end of the day you will always be able to buy a DVD burner and rip the diode out, combine a few of them and then you have your 'weapon'.

    Jim

  10. #10
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    Laser Lips:

    I disagree with the age limit. I had my first 10mw HeNe when I was 14 shortly after volunteering at a planetarium.

    E-gads, that was 21 years ago (Get off my lawn!). Light Amplification of Stimulated Emission of Radiation has had a profound impact on my career path(s). As well as a couple of my my friends. One of my best friends has been working at Coherent for 12 years.

    The problem is, like in most everything, is stupid people. I place a huge amount of blame on the likes of Wicked Lasers et al. The glorification and weaponization of high power pointers.

    From Wicked's site
    "Laser Range > 15 miles
    Make holes in black trash bags
    Open-cut healing power*
    Daytime smoke detection
    Stings bare skin
    Burn dark fabrics
    Laser Range > 50 miles
    Pop dark colored balloons
    Ignite wooden or paper matches
    Cut black electrical tape
    Etch dark plastics and leathers
    Light fireworks
    Melt rubber and plastics
    Laser Range > 100 miles
    Waterproof
    Tesla Technology
    Light cigars and cigarettes
    "

    It is no longer a scientific instrument it is a mini death ray LaZeR (sharks not included).
    Ask 99% of the " OMG teH laZer cAns pOp baLooNz an liGht maTcheZ !!1!eleventy" knuckle dragers what LASER means.
    When I got my first, couple of watt, air cooled ion I did burn some stuff light cigarettes do all of the usual crap but that lasted about an hour. Then it was time to get out the prisms, galvos, cook up some exar 8038 boards.

    Chad


    When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.


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