They're back ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080421/tc_nm/australia_lasers_dc

High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star pointers"
used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in
New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
anyone carrying them without a permit.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | b...@iphouse.com

They're back ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080421/tc_nm/australia_lasers_dc

High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star pointers"
used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in
New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
anyone carrying them without a permit.

[...]
What sort of power level is output by the "weapons grade laser
pointers" you mention? Are "Class IV" lasers (>500 mW, capable
of causing skin burns on direct exposure as well as rapid, severe
eye injury) actually available in a hand-held "pointer" format
these days?
[...]

BradGuth wrote:

On Apr 21, 12:53 pm, Bert Hyman <b...@iphouse.com> wrote:
They're back ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080421/tc_nm/australia_lasers_dc

High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star pointers"
used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in
New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
anyone carrying them without a permit.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | b...@iphouse.com

Some of the spendy commercial (weapons grade) laser pointers are
downright lethal to human eyesight within as little as a few ms
exposure, and many can even start fires from a considerable distance,
or cause enough thermal damage for subsequently creating a tire blow-
out. Perhaps a 1 mw laser-pointer power limit (good enough for home
or classroom usage) could be accepted as reasonably failsafe
alternative for public use, or simply calling it semi-idiot/moron-
proof rated (easily compliance field tested by enforcement).

Eye hazard with brief exposure certainly exists for the higher end of
the portable laser pointers: output power levels of several mW would
definitely put them in the "Class III" ("avoid direct eye exposure")
category - for example, the Orion "Skyline Deluxe", rated at 5 mW, is
labeled as a "Class III" laser - while below 1mW of visible emission
is "Class II" ("do not stare into beam") where the blink response is
considered fast enough to protect against damage.

What sort of power level is output by the "weapons grade laser
pointers" you mention? Are "Class IV" lasers (>500 mW, capable
of causing skin burns on direct exposure as well as rapid, severe
eye injury) actually available in a hand-held "pointer" format
these days?

On 21 Apr 2008 19:53:28 GMT, Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote:

They're back ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080421/tc_nm/australia_lasers_dc

High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star pointers"
used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in
New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
anyone carrying them without a permit.

If they're including 5 mW lasers in this ban (which is not clear in this
report), that's pathetic. A simple spotlight is far more capable of
dazzling a pilot, and (AFAIK) those are still legal.

Just one more example of the kind of stupid legislation you get when
scientifically ignorant (or just totally ignorant) people run
governments.

NSW is a nice place to visit, but obviously no place to live.
Certainly not if you are the type of reader who gets sucked in by

"Chris L Peterson" <clp@alumni.caltech.edu> wrote in message
news:460q04ptfp4sgg4d15sqoqieqkjm537mre@4ax.com...

NSW is a nice place to visit, but obviously no place to live.

Certainly not if you are the type of reader who gets sucked in by
journalese.

On Apr 21, 12:53 pm, Bert Hyman <b...@iphouse.com> wrote:
They're back ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080421/tc_nm/australia_lasers_dc

High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star pointers"
used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in
New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
anyone carrying them without a permit.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | b...@iphouse.com

Some of the spendy commercial (weapons grade) laser pointers are
downright lethal to human eyesight within as little as a few ms
exposure, and many can even start fires from a considerable distance,
or cause enough thermal damage for subsequently creating a tire blow-
out. Perhaps a 1 mw laser-pointer power limit (good enough for home
or classroom usage) could be accepted as reasonably failsafe
alternative for public use, or simply calling it semi-idiot/moron-
proof rated (easily compliance field tested by enforcement).

On Apr 21, 5:17 pm, David Weinshenker <daz...@earthlink.net> wrote:
[...]
What sort of power level is output by the "weapons grade laser
pointers" you mention? Are "Class IV" lasers (>500 mW, capable
of causing skin burns on direct exposure as well as rapid, severe
eye injury) actually available in a hand-held "pointer" format
these days?
[...]

Some of them are half a Watt and advertised in ASTRONOMY and
Sky & Telescope. They'll pop balloons at 100 feet, light a
cigarette, and generally just burn things (eyes, wood, etc.)

Visit <http://www.wickedlasers.com/> (one of the astro
advertisers) and watch the videos of people burning things
with them.

On Apr 21, 5:17 pm, David Weinshenker <daz...@earthlink.net> wrote:
[...]
What sort of power level is output by the "weapons grade laser
pointers" you mention? Are "Class IV" lasers (>500 mW, capable
of causing skin burns on direct exposure as well as rapid, severe
eye injury) actually available in a hand-held "pointer" format
these days?
[...]

Some of them are half a Watt and advertised in ASTRONOMY and
Sky & Telescope. They'll pop balloons at 100 feet, light a
cigarette, and generally just burn things (eyes, wood, etc.)

Visit <http://www.wickedlasers.com/> (one of the astro
advertisers) and watch the videos of people burning things
with them.

They're back ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080421/tc_nm/australia_lasers_dc

        High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star pointers"
        used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in
        New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
        anyone carrying them without a permit.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | b...@iphouse.com

I'm tired of all the discussion regarding laser pointer power. To me
it seems ridiculous that you can buy a 5mW laser pointer for use by
the general public. However, you cannot put the same 5mW laser into a
piece of industrial equipment without considerable care and warnings.
In my belief the problem is the laser pointer, not the industrial
laser safety requirements.

In sci.astro.amateur message <90vr0417n42v549c191oqgtb5deuq8k...@4ax.com

, Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:59:28, Chris L Peterson <c...@alumni.caltech.edu
posted:

Regulations on class 3a and lower lasers in the U.S. are generally very
light, regardless of application, simply because there's no evidence and
no history of harm or damage.

Devices readily available to the general public, especially but not only
when designed to be used in the manner of a pointer, should not be
capable of doing permanent harm or damage; and that should include the
harm or damage that can be caused by malicious or thoughtless dazzling.

Consider what might happen if, at night, you were driving down a
mountain road or landing a light aircraft, and a group of vandals ahead
decided to try the effect of one or more of there laser pointers on you.

--
 (c) John Stockton, nr London UK. *...@merlyn.demon.co.uk/??.Stock...@physics.org
 Web  <URL:http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/> - FAQish topics, acronyms, & links.
 Correct <= 4-line sig. separator as above, a line precisely "-- " (SoRFC1036)

, Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:59:28, Chris L Peterson <clp@alumni.caltech.edu
posted:

Regulations on class 3a and lower lasers in the U.S. are generally very
light, regardless of application, simply because there's no evidence and
no history of harm or damage.