Re:FAA Releases Data Showing Trends in Dangerous Laser Strikes
by Causality1 on Wednesday September 01, 2021 @10:58PM
(#28388220)
Problem being the degree of penalty is irrelevant because most of the perpetrators either have no idea it's illegal or don't know it's possible to be caught.
Re:FAA Releases Data Showing Trends in Dangerous Laser Strikes
by _Nat_ on Thursday September 02, 2021 @02:20AM
(#28389203)
> [...] most of the perpetrators either have no idea it's illegal [...]
How could someone possibly not be aware that trying to blind a pilot would be illegal?
I mean, trying to blind anyone is illegal. But a pilot that's actively flying a plane?
Re:FAA Releases Data Showing Trends in Dangerous Laser Strikes
by sk5t on Thursday September 02, 2021 @03:11AM
(#28389447)
Your awareness of the actual risk of doing something illegal is not a factor. Do any harm at all to a person having a medical condition--known or unknown to you or them--leading to their death and that's a homicide rap.
If the penalty for doing this was a modest slap on the wrist, that would be a completely ineffective deterrent for an activity that is very easy to get away with and hard to prosecute in the first place.
It seems the only options to prevent misuse here are to restrict the sale of laser pointers, or make the penalty for improper use so well-known and draconian that no one would want to take the chance of being caught.