I've had my laser licensed for a couple of years now, I should check when it runs out. I disagree that they need to have a license, but I do agree that there should be some sort of regulation. If you want/need to use one, and you follow the law and use it correctly, you should be totally imune to the ramblings of government puppets and the stupidity of morons who use them dangerously. I don't have a problem with them throwing some of these idiots into jail, or give them some of their own medicine (revenge really is sweet).
Only if they find aircraft being purposely targetted by people who are legally entitled to have one, should they begin to consider a "total" ban. As far as I know none of the people caught have had them "legally". I think if anyone on IIS were to be caught flashing aircraft or people, they should be removed from the forum, have their counterweights smashed, eyepieces covered in grease, piers permanently rotated to point north, the cross hairs on their collimation tools bent, mirrors scratched and GoTos changed to only work during daylight hours! And then we will think of something to upset them
I rarely use my laser mounted on the scope, the TelRad is much easier for alignment, but I use my handheld pointer often during public viewings (last year I did maybe 10?, almost that many so far this year)...and there is not a single tool in the known universe that does this job better! If you don't show the skies to others, you may not need one and may not think that any of us need them, but if you have an interest in sharing the heavens with others, a pointer is almost as essential as a scope, the gasps of amazement they invoke when they can see where the scope is pointed always makes me
So if you do have a pointer, you owe it to ALL of us to use it responsibly and carefully. So be careful out there...for all of us.