Cobar wrote:JustinR wrote:And, please do not point at aircraft.
What is this thing with pointing lasers at aircraft? Do hooligans do it for fun?
In a way, yes, they do. But not in the fashion you might think.
They want to see if they can make part of the aircraft light up from their laser. They have NO INTENTION to harm the pilots eyes or impact their piloting of their aircraft in ANY way - they just want to see their laser dot on the aircraft - THAT'S ALL (as said to me by someone we busted for lighting up a plane using a laser - bottom line, he NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED the consequences of the beam hitting the pilot's eyes. THAT was NOT his intent. He was simply trying to see if his laser beam would hit the aircraft and how big it would be if THEY could see it).
Most of them believe it's all in innocent fun (trying to get the laser beam to bounce off an aircraft so they could see it) and never consider what it might do to the pilots' vision.
DUMBSHITS? ABSOLUTELY!!! Criminal felons, MAYBE, even though their activities could cause an aircraft to crash, MOST of them never even consider the pilot might get hit in the eyes, especially those who SPECIFICALLY aimed the laser towards the rear of the aircraft and NOT the cockpit. Most of these idiots are kids. Those who do the same and are old enough to KNOW BETTER, I have no sympathy!!
Once you reach the age of majority and "ADULTHOOD", you now have a responsibility to MAKE SURE your actions DO NOT HARM OTHERS. You are NO LONGER a child experimenting and doing stupid shiite. Once you reach that age, you are fair game for your COMPLETE actions and the ramifications thereof.
Remember how Bloomberg claimed that 19 year olds aren't responsible to own firearms? Instances like this would only reinforce his opinion and provide fodder for the anti's to create barriers to law-abiding LEGAL AGE citizens to own, and carry firearms. Folks who've been in the military have USUALLY had their maturity tested and passed.
Bloomberg can kiss my butt, but we'll ALWAYS have immature 19-50 year-olds who aren't responsible to own firearms, just as there are LEGISLATORS who aren't mature enough to vote on firearm bills which they're not educated about.
I understand what you're saying about pointing a laser at an AC, but MOST of them are NOT felons in the same sense as those pointing loaded firearms - even though the effect is almost the same. MOST of those lighting up AC are KIDS, and if they aren't then throw the WHOLE BOOK at them!! Those who are KIDS and show the appropriate responses are NOT the same as a hardened criminal doing the same at a LEO aircraft while trying to evade apprehension (and deserve not to be treated the same way).
YMMV
