Ireland to ban lasers or the gobs* who abuse them?

I saw this on RTE tonight:
www.rte.ie/news/2009/0104/airport.html
The IALPA is calling for certain laser pointers to be treated as weapons after 10 incidents of pilots being illuminated near Dublin since September.

If poorly written, such a law could ban laser collimators and laser pointers used in the teaching of science and astronomy, (5 billion candlepower torches used previously for this were difficult to aim at individual stars...) Do we have any members with connections in the IALPA or Irish Aviation Authority?

Here is my suggestion to whoever writes this law:
Laser diodes are almost as ubiquitous and impossible to keep out of the country as transistors were a decade ago. A ban specific to laser pointers can easily bypassed with a screwdriver and many off-the-shelf computers, video games and other consumer electronic devices. Instead, require a license for the operation of any device which emits X watts/sq meter of illumination more than 2 degrees above the horizon with a wavelength of between 300 and 900nm within 5 miles of an airport.

A well written anti elevated illumination law could also reduce general light pollution which can be at least as much of a hazard to aviation as laser pens. I've lost the link, but a little more than a year ago a Dublin jet airliner nearly landed in a car park or construction zone (Blanchardstown?) because the pilot confused the light pollution with runway landing lights!

cloudsail wrote:

I saw this on RTE tonight:
www.rte.ie/news/2009/0104/airport.html
The IALPA is calling for certain laser pointers to be treated as weapons after 10 incidents of pilots being illuminated near Dublin since September.

pilots being illuminated? Must be some of the stupid car park lights near the airport...

A spokesperson said the pilots advised air traffic control of the incidents immediately, who then informed gardaí.

Interfering with an aircraft is already considered an offence and if the gardai can find those responsible they can prosecute them.
Classifying lasers as weapons will do nothing to stop this behaviour any more than banning long knives stops stabbings.

Yeah, a license will really stop them.
In the same way that needing a firearms licence stopped all those armed robbers.
This'll be another of those useless laws, which will make all the responsible users of lasers jump through hoops and pay out more money whilst the thugs continue pointing whilst laughing their heads off.
I don't know who are worse, the thugs or the half-wits who come up with this no-brain legislation that will have zero effect except to get them noticed and into public office.

I suppose this new law will now make it worth the guards effort getting the idiots at airports if its classified as a weapon, making it more of a serious offense I suppose.

Personally I think loss of laser pointers would be no great loss. I find them irritating at star parties as they do mess up your night vision. OK the general public are well impressed as you point out stars etc., but how do your fellow astronomers feel? However if they extend the law to cover necessary devices such as laser collimators etc. then that would be serious. Why not just concentrate on the half dozen idiot pubs in Dublin who insist on shining searchlights into the night sky...surely thats a bigger hazard to pilots etc., as well as mucking up my photographic attempts. Classing them as weapons though is a whole 'nother matter - that's just daft.
I'm sure there are plenty of astronomers that love 'em, just not me....:S

Hhmmm, this could spark a healthy debate. I agree that it is a shame that idiots, mostly kids, do use them in an irritating fashion. In my cinema days, I threw out kids that I caught using the harmless red pointers because of the nuisance they caused to others during a film. Shame it is not so easy when they are used in such an inconsiderate manner towards pilots (anyone see Police. Camera. Stop! on BBC/ITV would have seen such footage from the cockpit).

They [green lasers] are useful in their correct environment as a handy aide to learning about the night sky, we all know that. But, even in that environment, I too have found them to be a nuisance. Like you said John (Murphy), at star parties and observing sessions, they do cause annoyance for those who might be doing astrophotography. As long as they potential offender shouts in advance if it is ok to use it, I don't mind because I could shout back.

Seanie.