Josh -
For the record I thought it was pretty funny. I am an amateur astronomer and have owned a handheld green laser pointer for several years, using it to point to stars, planets and deep sky objects at star parties. To think that a 5mW pointer could blind a pilot is pretty ridiculous when you consider the power levels and beam spread of such pointers. Even looking directly into one at close range is only mildly blinding for a short period of time (I have tried it). It's still a bad idea to point them at planes, due to the risk of being arrested, and I would never do that, but there is far too much attention to this relatively minor threat and far too little given to other much more critical security risks, such as the porous condition of our borders.
Mark
Josh wrote:
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