Wicked Lasers' new lasers

[mccarrot]

Answer me this question: From a LEGAL perspective, what is the difference between a 100 mw hand-held, battery-powered laser (that is fully compliant with all applicable regulations) and a 100 mw lab laser module that is running off the same batteries? You can hold both in your hand. Both have keyswitches and emission indicators. Both have laser safety labels. Both are fully compliant with government regulations. Both can also be misused by idiots. Yet you are seriously suggesting that because one comes in a rectangular package it should be legal, but the one in the cylindrical package should be illegal?
Adam

The battery powered lab is not "cool" and is more difficult to take out in the public and in my opinion that's a huge difference.

I think the whole problem lies in the extreme portability of pointers. If they where big and heavy I would not see them EVERY WEEK in the public.

I also think the problem is bigger in europe, because (what I have heart) in the US they can claim millions of dollars when you damage someones eye. thats totally different in Europe.

[buffo]

The battery powered lab is not "cool" and is more difficult to take out in the public and in my opinion that's a huge difference.

If that's the only "legal" difference you can come up with, then we have a big problem. How are you going to pass a law that basically says if the laser is "cool" it should be illegal?

This is exactly the point I've been trying to make. How are you going to pass a law that distinguishes between the two? Shape? Size? Weight?

I think the whole problem lies in the extreme portability of pointers. If they where big and heavy I would not see them EVERY WEEK in the public.

So what is your proposal? That they have to weigh half a kilogram or more? That they can't be round? Or are you going to ban all portable battery-powered lasers period? Seriously - have you thought this through? Because it's leading to some very absurd conclusions.

I think it's better to focus on the inappropriate behavior. And if the laws in Europe don't allow prosecution for people doing unsafe or dangerous things with lasers (lab or portable), then those are the laws that need to be changed.

Adam

[mccarrot]

Yes, I vote for a ban an all portable battery powered lasers with more power than 5mW, unless you have approval for it for the very few people have a legitimate reason to own and use a battery powered portable

Now its way too easy to get your hands on these dangerous toys.

You can get prosecuted in europe when abusing a laser, but you will only get a fine of maybe 1000 euro's, what I have heart claims in the US are way higer, thats what i meant.

[buffo]

Yes, I vote for a ban an all portable battery powered lasers with more power than 5mW, unless you have approval for it

Define "approval". If the laser is otherwise compliant with all regulations, does it get approved?

Seriously - what are you proposing? Some sort of licensing board for portable, battery-operated lasers? Who decides who gets "approved"?

Adam

[mccarrot]

Kinda like hand guns are regulated in the EU (European union).

In the EU it's illegal to own a gun, unless you have a license.

Such rule would not completely take away the pointers from "us" and it will be much more complicated for the "less educated" persons to get there hands on high powered pointers.

[ElektroFreak]

That's sounds reasonably fair to me. You might have a hard time selling legislators on that, though, since there is a very large difference between guns and portable lasers. I hardly think that the incidents that have occurred so far would be enough to justify the cost of passing the legislation and maintaining such a program.

[mccarrot]

We agree with you that promoting the sale of illegal laser pointers is bad.

Adam

The last 2 reviews on this forum are from dangerous toys (200mW pointers)

We could start stop writing reviews on this forum.

Don't you guys agree high powered pointers do more harm (people injured, pilots distracted) then they do good?

[ElektroFreak]

I highly doubt that all of us agree with that, and I know I don't.

I think you should do what you said before and start a poll thread for that. Only this time, instead of trying to pass loaded questions off as poll questions, you could use a reasonable poll like:

Do you feel that portable lasers are a big enough problem that we need to ban all forms of their discussion from this forum? We would appreciate your input.

A: Yes
B: No



Then when people have answered, you take the results to the admin. Everyone stays anonymous, and it's done in a respectful manner.

This is not your own private little forum, mccarrot, and everyone's opinions and feelings need to be taken into account. No one here needs to explain anything to you about why pointers are good or why they are bad or why they enjoy them or what purpose they use them for.. As said many times before: "If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand."

[allthatwhichis]

Y'all haven't read many of our benefactor's posts have you? Even the thought of banning any type of discussion on this forum makes me giggle in an un-manly way.

[mccarrot]

This is a self moderated forum, so if we just ignore reviews and advertisement of high power pointers they will go to LPF by themselves.