Scumbags point lasers at airplanes, feds move to regulate.

[Gritches]

How much of a hater can one person possibly be? That guy got 14 years for being such an incredible hater. Who does that for any reason?

[Xaelai]

I don't think stiff and harsh penalties are going to help. They certainly didn't do shit with piracy.

I think some television/radio ads that are cleverly done would do a lot more.

Seriously? You're going to compare reckless endangerment to piracy?

lolololol

[Themius]

That's why we need stiff and harsh penalties. Word of Mouth gets out.. "Hey don't do that! You'll go to jail for that!" And if more people start getting locked away for multiple years, then word gets out, and fewer people do it, win-win.

Oh, and let's not forget the person in THIS case has MULTIPLE offenses, which is part of why he's getting 14 years.

Win win by throwing away the lives of people pointing lasers? This case doesn't have multiple laser offenses, they have multiple dumb shit done while drunk offenses, laser included. Yet at no point did the courts say "hey let's force this guy into rehab!"

I also really would like to know how many crashes are due to lasers, I mean I see lots of "could happen" and talk of it, but how often is it?

[Bigbazz]

I can't see any practical use for such powerful lasers, I'm sure your cats can find something else to chase after.

[Twotonsteak]

14 years for this shit... that's overkill... unless a person is pointing a laser at a helicopter or plane with the intent to crash it, that type of sentence should have never existed.

This isn't a new issue. It's (people pointing lasers at aircraft, and warnings not to do it) been in the news several times over the last couple of years. We're now at a point where everyone should know better. As such you can assume that any attempt to point a laser at an aircraft is done so with the knowledge of what it can do.

[Xaelai]

mmm...just off the complete top of my head really, ohh there's also landscape design you could use them for on your property(get accurate sizes and dimensions...those are usually mounted on devices that specifically read the laser/time traveled though so guess it wouldn't count...i'm sure that i am missing a lot though.

You don't need a high-powered laser to do this stuff.

Wanna play with your cat or do a presentation? A $1 laser pointer hanging up near the Wal*mart cash registers that won't even as much as hurt someone's eyes will do just fine.

[Akaena]

Not sure if that guy is just stupid or well....... stupid why would you do something like that.

[Xaelai]

Not sure if that guy is just stupid or well....... stupid why would you do something like that.

Much less multiple times. You'd think after all the other offenses of doing equally dumb crap, you'd think he'd go "wow, maybe I should quit being an idiot!"

Nope, of course not. So now he goes to jail. Good Riddance. He wasn't doing society any good anyways.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

I don't think stiff and harsh penalties are going to help. They certainly didn't do shit with piracy.

I think some television/radio ads that are cleverly done would do a lot more.

Digital piracy isn't risking the lives of people, despite what some may claim.

[ComputerNerd]

I can't see any practical use for such powerful lasers, I'm sure your cats can find something else to chase after.

I agree.
We used to have a dog that chased after reflections, or light from a cheap torch.
Do cats have some necessity for it to be a high-powered laser that can reach distances several thousand times the length of the distance the cat will be away from it at any one time.

As far as I am concerned, you are endangering your cat in the process.

[Xaelai]

Digital piracy isn't risking the lives of people, despite what some may claim.

B-b-b-b-but those record companies/Hollywood Production Studios will starve without their $1000 caviar! They'd have to stop buying $10k outfits just to afford it all!

[Themius]

Much less multiple times. You'd think after all the other offenses of doing equally dumb crap, you'd think he'd go "wow, maybe I should quit being an idiot!"

Nope, of course not. So now he goes to jail. Good Riddance. He wasn't doing society any good anyways.

I find it funny how many whiny online boys can tell who is and isn't good for society based on whether or not they've been on jail. Especially when we're talking about meh offenses.

You'd think after committing several crimes under the influence of alcohol that he would have been forced by the courts into rehab.

[Christan]

I can't see any practical use for such powerful lasers, I'm sure your cats can find something else to chase after.

yeah, and you should only use weak lasers with cats, so you don't end up blinding them. something strong enough to shoot a beam a kilometer away or so(idk, people do it when planes are landing, but thats opposite side of the runway i'm sure if the pilots are getting blinded by it.

i was agreeing, there are uses for pointers but ones that strong there are not really, except maybe lasers for hunting, but tbh a traditional scope is all that's needed, adding a laser to it is overkill and ruins any sense of accomplishment from taking something down...

i'm just wondering how the hell people aim them that well, i know the dot spreads out but hitting a spec even 30 feet(10 meters or so) away is hard as hell for more than a second of few..

throw in someone doing it while drunk? i doubt it....

[Akaena]

Digital piracy isn't risking the lives of people, despite what some may claim.

Or dose he mean real piracy with pirates armed with AK's and RPGs...............?

[Hypasonic]

Firstly, if people are purposely pointing these things at aircraft/helicopters..hell, even bus drivers and the like, they deserve SOME sort of penalty, after all they are putting lives at risk!

I used to buy handheld lasers when I went on holiday as a kid, they were everywhere, was so fun pointing them out of the apartment at night down on the street "for a bit of fun" but this is something entirely different.

[Xaelai]

I find it funny how many whiny online boys can tell who is and isn't good for society based on whether or not they've been on jail. Especially when we're talking about meh offenses.

The guy has a history of being drunk and doing stupid crap. The danger he poses/posed to society outweighs whatever good he may or may not have been bringing to it. His prior offenses obviously did not teach him anything, so he doesn't sound like anybody that had any common sense, or a brain for that matter.

I think I've pretty much got the idea of what kinda person this guy is, and it sounds like the courts know exactly what ought to be done with him, too. Oh, and the Jury too. Are you going to call those 12 people wrong too?

[Christan]

Firstly, if people are purposely pointing these things at aircraft/helicopters..hell, even bus drivers and the like, they deserve SOME sort of penalty, after all they are putting lives at risk!

I used to buy handheld lasers when I went on holiday as a kid, they were everywhere, was so fun pointing them out of the apartment at night down on the street "for a bit of fun" but this is something entirely different.

lol using one when it was foggy/ misty was amazing, i remember that also ^.^
so fun

[Xaelai]

I used to buy handheld lasers when I went on holiday as a kid, they were everywhere, was so fun pointing them out of the apartment at night down on the street "for a bit of fun" but this is something entirely different.

The cheap $1 penlights you used as a kid probably barely reached to the street let alone a couple thousand feet into the air. So yeah, something entirely different.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

Or dose he mean real piracy with pirates armed with AK's and RPGs...............?

I don't think that form of piracy is a problem in the US at this point.

[Themius]

You heard it here first folks, make sure you get drunk before you do things that could potentially cause a catastrophe, and Themius will be the first to support you on the internets.

So intent doesn't matter? A person actively trying to kill and one who does so by accident by drunk should be treated the same? Well that's highly ignorant.

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The guy has a history of being drunk and doing stupid crap. The danger he poses/posed to society outweighs whatever good he may or may not have been bringing to it. His prior offenses obviously did not teach him anything, so he doesn't sound like anybody that had any common sense, or a brain for that matter.

I think I've pretty much got the idea of what kinda person this guy is, and it sounds like the courts know exactly what ought to be done with him, too. Oh, and the Jury too. Are you going to call those 12 people wrong too?

If he has a history of being drunk and doing stupid things while drunk, then shouldn't he have been forced into rehab to help make him a productive member ?

Juries aren't right or wrong. They judge based on what they're given and what they're led to believe of the defendant.