I suppose it's a case of risk assessment - the risk of lasers being used irresponsibly is high.
And can lasers below Class IV still a pose a threat to pilots or even car drivers?
I'm curious, why not just ask that amateur astronomers be exempted.
I think if an exemption applies then a licence fee will be put in place to try to ensure only legit people apply.
I reckon any form of exemption won't happen. They'll make it like the gun laws, ie: join a club as part of a genuine reason to use one. I think the ban is wrong, although i think that Telrad will suit a much better purpose as a zero power finder if you didn't have a laser pointer. The use of these pointers in education would help our cause, as other people have said, because its a real benefit in a large group of people!
I think that part of being an amateur is the ability to locate an object in the sky using charts and star hopping and memorizing its position, all part of the fun!
I hope lasers aren't totally banned, but i hope also that amateurs will rise above this and procure other means to carry on enjoying their favourite pastime!
Im pretty sure that lasers can pose a threat to pilots and drivers.....so do birds and bricks and falling rocks and trees and storms and HID lights and 100/90W headlight globes and spotlights and terrorists and the list goes on and on..... lol
I signed the petition, because one more voice is better than none.
I find laser pointers to be very useful, but I’m also very lazy, and while I consider myself to be relatively patient and accommodating of others who use them, I accept that they can be intrusive and a general nuisance at times. But they are invaluable when responsibly used as a teaching aid in a public forum for pointing out those twinkley things in the sky. On this basis, I have signed the petition.
