Error in the text: 1000mW laser with 532nm wavelength which is green light.
1000nm light is infrared.
Cross posted in https://lemmy.ca/post/64612634
Error in the text: 1000mW laser with 532nm wavelength which is green light.
1000nm light is infrared.
Cross posted in https://lemmy.ca/post/64612634
Lasering a camera absolutely does not have the same legal ramifications as shooting a gun in public, to say nothing of the safety concerns that come with shooting bullets into the air.
While I 100% agree, shooting a laser powerful enough to burn camera sensors sounds like something dangerous enough that I’d be worried of a reflection blinding someone
High-power lasers are dangerous and you certainly should not operate them if you don’t know what you’re doing, but they are not in the same ballpark as bullets from guns. And if we’re talking strictly about legal jeopardy, IDK I’m not a lawyer but I imagine a prosecutor would have a hard time convincing a jury that a laser is as dangerous as a gun. Not saying it couldn’t happen, but if I had to go to trial with one or the other I know what my preference would be.
A laser won’t kill me if it hits my stomach. A bullet very much might.
On the other hand, a bullet won’t blind a dozen people if it hits a reflective surface. A laser might.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I’d like to present you with evidence of why a laser is, in fact, more dangerous than a gun. Please turn your attention to the screen:”
OK, I hear you. How bout baseball bats? They’re something every American has.
My point is that they don’t look too hard to destroy. Why fuck about with lasers?
Generally they’re mounted high enough you can’t hit them with a stick (totally sincere here: I am so curious where the idea that every american has a baseball bat came from. We don’t, that’s like assuming every canadian has a hockey stick). The best method of physically damaging them is just to loop a chain around them and pull them down then hit them with your standard-issue Size 2 Louisville Slugger. But that takes time and several people, so for a quick & clean takedown laser pointers are fairly effective.
They’re usually high up enough that baseball bats would be tough, but they’re an option for some situations. Lasers are nice because they’re inexpensive(ish) and can be operated from a vehicle, e.g. just roll up on a bike, blast the sensor, and scram. There are other options, but if you have a high-power laser already and want to strike a blow for freedom, this is one way to do it.
Idk, if your laser misses and hits an aircraft you’re in for a much worse time than simply firing a gun in public (as long as your bullet doesn’t hit someone)
That may be the stupidest justification for shooting a gun in the air that I’ve ever heard, and I have heard some doozies. The odds that you’ll accidentally intersect an aircraft are astronomically low, and even if you do, it’ll only be for a fraction of a second at most unless you are intentionally tracking the aircraft. To compare that to the danger of firing bullets in the air is absurd. If your best plan for disabling flock cameras is to shoot them with guns, please redirect your activism elsewhere because that is dangerously irresponsible.
Whoa there, chill out. I’m not trying to justify anything and I didn’t say anything about shooting a gun into the air at an airplane.
My point was that hitting aircraft with a laser is pretty much a fuck you in the ass federal offense, whereas firing a gun in public, into the ground for example, will most likely only be a local or state level charge, if anything at all, especially if there’s no injuries or proved intent of harm.
Also, IANAL.
Pointing laser pointers at planes is a federal crime because air traffic is federally regulated. Reckless discharge (steady lads) in a high traffic area, which is where flock cameras are located, falls under state jurisdiction because those laws are state regulated.
The jurisdiction in which a crime is committed does not dictate the severity of the punishment - while lasering a plane generally carries a severe punishment, it’s unlikely it would even be noticed by the crew unless you’re specifically targeting that plane. It’s certainly going to carry a lower sentence than reckless discharge (steady) in a populated area during the commission of a crime.
I am chill, but I have no interest in mincing words: what you said was very stupid and can (and does) get people killed. Don’t shoot guns in the air. If that’s the only plan you can think of, do nothing until you think of a better plan.