Congress Processes a Bill on Laser Pointer Use

Under a Bill that's now passed the House, it is about to become a criminal act punishable by five years in prison to point a laser at an aircraft. The FAA has no authority to either regulate lasers or take enforcement action against individuals who illuminate aircraft cockpits yet the number of such incidents continues to mount. Even though the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has no information that would suggest that any of these incidents is in any way related to terrorist activity, the potential for an accident remains high. Pilots have reported 186 laser incidents this year and more than 900 since November 2004. Only a few of these incidents have resulted in reported eye injury, but no civilian pilot has had any permanent visual impairment as a result of laser exposure. Exceptions and exemptions, such as using the lasers for defense research or to signal for help, are anticipated being covered under the new legislation - which is expected to pass through the Senate unamended. For related news