Gable is accused of pointing the laser inside the cockpit of a Los Angeles police helicopter flying over Hollywood, authorities said. A friend of Gable, whom the manager said was driving the car Gable was in, is facing the same felony charge, police said.

“Boys will be boys, and he was playing with what he thought was a toy and not a felony piece,” Roxane Davis, Gable’s manager, told CNN. “From what he told me from jail, he had it out the window and he was shining it out the window, and the next thing he knew was that he had a spotlight on him.

Check the ILDA website for more information. http://www.laserist.org/forums/

Laser Pointers Available at: www.newajelasers.com

Seattle-Tacoma: The FBI and Transportation Security Administration are investigating complaints that someone has been pointing lasers at airline pilots as they approach Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

To illustrate the problem, the State Patrol today released this video of a laser pointer being aimed at a pilot flying at 2,000 feet.

On Jan. 29, troopers in a State Patrol airplane were targeted with a laser pointer in the Fife area. The airplane was initially hit with a green laser and the tactical flight officer (TFO) was able to turn the airplane’s Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera on the residential area where the initial laser originated. The individual soon tried it again, and the TFO was able to identify the individual’s location.

The airplane flew over the residence until Pierce County sheriff’s deputies were able to make contact with the individual.

The suspect was not arrested at the scene. However, a person can be indicted under the Patriot Act for interfering with aircraft pilots, and charges by the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office are considered pending and should be filed by the end of this month, the State Patrol said.

NewAje is a member of ILDA and so that ILDA Members and laserists know, ILDA has been heavily involved in this issue of laser pointer safety. ILDA has submitted their version of a proposed U.S. law to CDRH. They will shortly be asking the CDRH to require labels on laser pointers, to specifically warn against aiming at aircraft. They have given presentations at international laser safety meetings. And the ILDA-sponsored website www.LaserPointerSafety.com is the world’s #1 resource for information, news, links and solutions to this growing problem.

Although ILDA does not deal with laser pointers per se, they do this because 1) They are concerned about negative publicity if there is a serious laser-aircraft incident, and 2) it is a public service to try to find a reasonable solution that keeps laser pointers safe and legal.

It is unsafe, you may be arrested, and you may help get laser pointers banned

Here’s why you should NEVER aim a laser pointer at an airplane or helicopter:

Distracting or flashblinding pilots is dangerous

When a laser beam is on an aircraft, pilots see a flash of light. This can be distracting at best. Worse, the light can be so bright it causes glare (pilots can’t see past the light) or temporary flashblindness (like getting a camera flash in your eye). Also, some pilots have thought a laser gunsight was being aimed at them, so they have taken evasive action on takeoff or landing.

Glare from a legal 5 milliwatt laser pointer located 1200 feet from an aircraft. The pilot cannot see the runway when the laser is on the cockpit window. More photos from this test are here and here; a photo from a helicopter is here.

It is BAD for you!

You may be ARRESTED

Laser users are frequently arrested for aiming at airplanes or helicopters. It is surprisingly easy to find you. And as authorities take laser incidents more seriously, they are putting more effort into finding perpetrators:

1. Police helicopter is targeted by laser pointer on the ground. 2: Helicopter crew use Laser Event Recorder to locate pointer via GPS, and record its wavelength. 3: GPS details enable helicopter’s thermal (infrared) camera to find suspect, and send police patrol on the ground to arrest the person.

Photo from BBC News article

You may go to TRIAL

This is expensive and a major hassle. You do NOT want to hire a lawyer to represent you in a trial with a state or federal prosecutor.

You may go to JAIL

In October 2008, a California man was sentenced to two years in prison for aiming a 3 milliwatt laser pointer at an aircraft. Note that this was a 3 MILLIwatt laser, about the same strength as a 2.5 milliwatt supermarket scanner laser. In January 2009, a Cleveland Ohio man was sentenced to three years in prison for hitting two airplanes and two helicopters.

You may get SHOT

Because laser gunsights are common, police get very worried when someone points a laser at them. In Florida, a man was killed when he refused to stop pointing lasers at officers. You don’t want to cause any misunderstanding where officers in a targeted police helicopter “shoot first and ask questions later”.

It is BAD for other laser pointer users

Laser pointers may be BANNED

Laser-aircraft incidents happen about once per day in the U.S. You can understand that pilots and the FAA are upset about this. If laser pointers were banned in the U.S., this would be fine with them. Other countries such as Canada and the U.K. also are considering bans on laser pointer sales.

So if you like using laser pointers, don’t screw it up by adding to the long list of laser incidents.

Laser pointers have already been banned in an Australian state
New South Wales officials got fed up after lasers hit airplanes landing at Sydney’s airport, in March 2008. The Australian state banned laser pointers and put them in the same “dangerous weapon” category as guns and crossbows. Possession and/or misuse of laser pointers can get you a fine or even up to 14 years (!) in prison.

How to stay safe and keep laser pointers legal:

NEVER aim a laser beam at an aircraft, a vehicle, or towards strangers. In other words, DON’T ANNOY PEOPLE WITH THE LASER BEAM.

Orignal Article found at: http://www.laserpointersafety.com/