>1mW Laser pointers are illegal in victoria

[avandonk]

While you are handing in the pointer maybe hand in any spare SIM cards. You just don't know how dangerous these things can be for YOUR health and liberty.

Bert

[vespine]

Well, I don't see what "the scam" could possibly acheive, and I just called the APF and confirmed the name and phone number of the person sending me the email is indeed correct...

[erick (Eric)]

Yes, I understand why the prohibition, but I don't understand why it would exist for responsible astronomy use at the same time. I did look up the yearly cost of a permit but cannot find it at the moment. As I recall the permit fee was more the the purchase price of a laser pointer, and that was before the big price drop of the last months.


(Edit: found the fee - $148.80 if one doesn't hold a licence under the Firearms Act. Not sure how long a period of time that fee covers. By the way - storage requirements for the prohibited weapon apply as well).

[OneOfOne (Trevor)]

The fee covers 3 years. Although I have my laser mounted to my scope with a Lumicon bracket, I can loosen a screw and drop it out for public viewing. Technically, if you are lisenced (as I am), you are "legal". If the laser it "permanently mounted" you don't need a lisence, don't know how you would make it "permanent" though? Weld it?

Just fill out the form, mentioning what you are using it for, make sure you mention public educational usage rather than just private use just in case there is a problem if you use it at a public location. Send the money off and you will get your permit in a couple of weeks.

Personally, I think the email is a scam as it just doesn't "gel", but it is illegal in Victoria without a liscence.

Maybe you might want to put your name down for a few handgrenades, missiles, shot guns etc in case you need some at a later date.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

The question of jurisdiction is the one making me doubt the validity of this.
Why would the AFP be investigating breaches of Victorian law? Why wouldn't the contact come from Victoria Police in the first instance?

I dare say any information gleaned from ebay re prohibited weapons would more likely be used to persue real weapons, such as imported knives etc that teenage gangs tend to arm themselves with.

[vespine]

I can't be stuffed, the bracket to mout it to my scope is more then what I paid for the laser, and the last thing I want is police to come search my property, i'm just gonna hand it it. I'd rather fly under the radar then buck the system at the moment. If I really want another laser I'll go buy one from bintel and use cash, that way no one will be able to trace me.. I had considered taking the "laser" part out of my pointer and swapping it with a broken red one, just say the chinese pice of junk broke. But then if they someohow did find out I'd tampered with it I'm sure the penalty would be much more severe..

[OneOfOne (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by Starkler

The question of jurisdiction is the one making me doubt the validity of this.
Why would the AFP be investigating breaches of Victorian law? Why wouldn't the contact come from Victoria Police in the first instance?
[snip]

I sent the money to Victoria Police, not the Federal Police.

[Outbackmanyep]

How ridiculous........honestly.
This is the sort of garbage that really makes you hate governments.....
How is it a "weapon"!?
Fair dinkum!
They might as well ban HID headlights too......
Another revenue source for the state police and associated governments, next thing you know you'll have to have a 3 point lockable gunsafe bolted to the wall and floor just to store the thing!

[mick pinner]

l just contacted the Victorian Police Legal Policy Unit regarding the laser pointers and they will be getting back to me in a day or two with the legal requirements of possessing a pointer be it either hand held or permanently mounted.
They also told me the e-mail from the AFP is real because it is their jurisdiction and the only way they can contact those that have bought through E-Bay.

[Satchmo]

Originally Posted by mick pinner

They also told me the e-mail from the AFP is real because it is their jurisdiction and the only way they can contact those that have bought through E-Bay.

So why would anybody bother replying ???

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hmmm, I wonder if they will legislate telescopes? They make a good spy implement!

[acropolite (Phil)]

Another case where our law enforcers are chasing the real criminals, everyone knows how dangerous a laser weilding astronomer is . If you're a thug on the street toting a knife that's OK.

[anthony2302749]

Originally Posted by Outbackmanyep

How ridiculous........honestly.
This is the sort of garbage that really makes you hate governments.....
How is it a "weapon"!?
Fair dinkum!
They might as well ban HID headlights too......
Another revenue source for the state police and associated governments, next thing you know you'll have to have a 3 point lockable gunsafe bolted to the wall and floor just to store the thing!

I agree, it makes me wonder what kind of drugs the Victorian government is on. Why make a green laser which can be used in education a prohibited weapon and not a speargun which is classed as a controlled weapon (a knife is also a controlled weapon) and all you need is a lawful excuse to possess, carry or to use such a weapon.

I use this point of the speargun to hightlight a very important point, a speargun can be used to kill another person. This is true as there was a case in Melbourne were a Husband purchased a speargun took it home and killed is pregnant wife and then three days later is young daughter, dumping the bodies at the local land fill and then going on National TV to say that his wife had run of with his child. Had speargun been classed as a prohibited weapon they maybe still alive.

Also how many times have you hear on the news, read in the paper about some person being stabbed with a knife, lots of time. Have you hear of any one being injured by a laser, zero.

Making lasers a prohibited weapon in Victoria is purely a revenue raise such as speed cameras which do nothing it the way of reducing the road total. But of cause what do you expect of a government that can not organised a r**t in a wh*** house.

That ends my say on the subject.

[mill (Martin)]

I have an AKC licence for sword posession and trading, there are very strict rules in the weapons act about storage of prohibited weapons.
The whole problem about lasers is that a green laser is prohibited?
A red laser is not? (just about every pen i have has a red laser in it)
Now why is an green laser prohibited i ask. Maybe because you can see the whole beam and not so with an red laser.
Anyway it is BS to let all other states out of this law and not Victoria.

[bojan]

Green laser is probably on the list because the human eye is most sensitive in green.. so 1mW in green has much more effect than 1mW in red.
But, I have not notice any note of colour, so it seems the prohibition is for everything above 1mW.
Still, lasers are everywhere today,, I wonder if laser level from Bunnings is also considered a weapon?
Yes, it is mounted on the level, but the level itself is not much bigger itself, and it is hand-held.. and the power output of such a laser is between 1~ 3mw.

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

You get idiots shining Lasers up at ACFT and at car drivers on highways. Which while at altitude (distance) is probably not a problem because the beam is attenuated.

At close range High powered Laser beams focus on the retina and since it is coherent light it is a powerful localised hot spot that easily damages the retina even with natural blink reaction.

The Vic law states Lasers must be less than 1mw output. Class 1 and 2 Lasers are ok if they are under that 1mw. Class 3 and above are illegal unless controlled.

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/CA256902000FE154/Lookup/CAV_Publications_Product_Safety/$file/laserpointers.pdf

Here is some facts sheets from defence.
http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dhs/in...e_Exposure.pdf

A quick goggle shows a bucket load of Lasers for Astronomy at far greater than 1mw...even neodymium doped lasers that have ranges over 12,000 ft. Man this stuff is dangerous in the hands of the general unwashed. Still it's the IR Lasers that are more dangerous as they do not invoke a blink reaction...aka that's why the military use near IR Lasers.... also because of less atmospheric attenuation at those wave lengths.

I'm not saying the Astronomy crowd would behave irresponsibly but these are not safe. Although all that said i reckon 1mw class 2 Laser of 1mw is generally quite safe. The spawning of the Laser diodes have created a nightmare for Law makers.

I was SNCOIC of F18 FLIR LTDR Pod /Laser Lab and systems at Williytown for a number of years as well as the Base LSO (Laser safety officer) and SNCOIC of Pavetack mirror control Laser head overhauls..a few moons to many ago!

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

This whole legislation stuff came about in Victoria because 2 stupid kids pointed a green laser at aircraft in Melbourne, about 2 years back.

One of the pilots said that he was hit in the eye by green light.

Gee, the kids must be damn good shots or had very expensive equipment to get a pilot in the eye in a cockpit of a plane way up in the sky!!! And the pilot said it as in his eye for several seconds!!! The kids must have had good tracking.

[DaveO (David)]

The situation does not appear to be so draconian in Queensland (for a change).

I searched the Qld legislative web site, and the only references to lasers were as follows:

1. Control of therapeutic lasers
2. Control of industrial lasers in the workplace
3. Laser speed devices (speed guns)
4. Rifle-mountable laser sights for rifles (Class R Weapon)
5. Laser pointers at significant sporting events

So unless you decide to start observing at a major sporting event in Qld you should be okay.

Even so, I plan to check with my colleagues tomorrow - I am an IT contractor for Qld Police.

[ozships]

Actually, NSW has the same legal restrictions for lasers, see Division 18:
http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fu...2002+FIRST+0+N

Class 1 and Class 2 lasers are both 1 mw or less.

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Hi,

Fascinating, NSW, Vic and WA, at least, all regulate in some way lasers greater than 1mW in power, classified as Class 3 or above to AS2211. At 1mW or less it is considered that the blink reflex provides adequate protection (would not like to test this) against accidental exposure, but there are still regulations designed to prevent malpractice, like the prohibition of toy weapons with a laser in them.

The laser pointers on the Andrews Comms website, advertised at 5mW, 10mW, and 20mW, are therefore a subject of some considerable interest. Perhaps it is a case of "legal to sell, but not legal to use" like Police radar detectors.

Cheers