Laws on laser pens

anything above 5mW can damage the eye and so will be classed as an offensive weapon. Anything above 5mW also becomes a class 3R laser and requires special regulations and safety precautions - which if you don't follow you could be prosecuted by the HSE.
None of these are very well regulated of course but if you do blind someone then you are looking at jail time as well as a private HSE prosecution that the person will no doubt follow.
 
aardvark said:
anything above 5mW can damage the eye and so will be classed as an offensive weapon. Anything above 5mW also becomes a class 3R laser and requires special regulations and safety precautions - which if you don't follow you could be prosecuted by the HSE.
None of these are very well regulated of course but if you do blind someone then you are looking at jail time as well as a private HSE prosecution that the person will no doubt follow.
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I was going to post this!, 5mW is the max allowed in the UK, it's just never enforced.
 
Kol said:
In all fairness, your side of the debate (rather than argument) has hardly had any strong points except weak sweeping generalisations. In any case, much like that and the posters probably very tongue in cheek comparison to your analogy, it's just like saying anything can be abused by chavs. Take mobile phones, necessity (by your reasoning)? Nope... just used by chavs for prank calling emergency services.

Which we both know isn't the case, much like the laser pens. Don't let a minority cloud your view.
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equally dumb, there is no need for what i would call "industrial grade" lasers to be built into pen/keyring devices.

For the few that do need to use pointers for displays, there is safer and better tech available. (see my previous post)

Hand held laser devices that can cause blindness should be classed as firearms/offensive weapons AFAIC, and licenced accordingly.
 
aardvark said:
anything above 5mW can damage the eye and so will be classed as an offensive weapon. Anything above 5mW also becomes a class 3R laser and requires special regulations and safety precautions - which if you don't follow you could be prosecuted by the HSE.
None of these are very well regulated of course but if you do blind someone then you are looking at jail time as well as a private HSE prosecution that the person will no doubt follow.
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Thank you for answering my question.

I wasn't expecting a massive debate about this, probably best to have the thread closed.
 
mattyfez said:
equally dumb, there is no need for what i would call "industrial grade" lasers to be built into pen/keyring devices.

For the few that do need to use pointers for displays, there is safer and better tech available. (see my previous post)

Hand held laser devices that can cause blindness should be classed as firearms/offensive weapons AFAIC, and licenced accordingly.
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Out of interest, are there any stats relating to the number of cases of blindness or irreversible sight damage due to laser pens? For all the talk of damage, i haven't heard of a single case.
 
Don't forget about Lasers for airsoft and such :) I'm sure no chavs will be running around with those, I'm talking about the proper ones.
 
Red and White said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/29333.stm
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Is that all you have, a 10 year old out of date article? :confused: Any peer reviewed work to criticially back up your side of the debate?

Just for the record, I'm not saying (and at no point have I) that I condone these ridiculously overpowered Chinese imports, merely that regulated laser pointers for the purposes as mentioned above serve a said purpose.
 
D.P. said:
cars aren't necessary, every drink apart from water isn't necessary. Showers aren't necessary. computers aren't necessary.

Indeed, if you are giving a presentation on a large screen to a big audience then a laser pointer is a must. Anyone flaffing around with a computer mouse will not be giving a good presentation.
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What absolute rubbish, when i was at uni not a single one of my lecturers ever used a laser pen when giving presentations on very large projection screens. The material on screen is either from powerpoint or from the fancy digital OHP. With powerpoint you just use the mouse pointer, and with the OHP just point with a pen or a finger or something. No need at all for any kind of laser pointer.
As for your point about someone NOT using a laser pen can't be giving a good presentation this is total rubbish, when using the laser pen they have their back to you, really awesome presentation that way isn't it :/
 
penski said:
Don't...It's too funny.

I'm blind in one eye so you should ban laser pointers.

I walk with a limp...Should we ban shoes?

*n
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I don't usually pick up on these things... but shoes are hardly going to make others lame or destroy your only chance to walk.

A laser in his other eye would make him permanently blind, don't mean to be Captain Obvious.
 
Shoseki said:
I don't usually pick up on these things... but shoes are hardly going to make others lame or destroy your only chance to walk.

A laser in his other eye would make him permanently blind, don't mean to be Captain Obvious.
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But what relevance does his blindness have to a debate on laser pointers?

Was he blinded by a laser pointer? I guess not...Or he would have mentioned it.

*n
 
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