Government bans laser pointers

The Premier has announced that new high powered lasers will soon come under the classification of prohibited weapons, and that anyone using a laser will have to justify their use to the police, in an attempt to stop laser attacks on approaching aircraft. The punishment for breaking the new laws could be two years jail or a $5000 fine. The new bans have caused much division, with critics calling the new bans impractical, or accusing the government of heavy-handedness. The Opposition police spokesman, Mike Gallacher, called the statement a media stunt, and that outlawing a legal object would be difficult.
However, Mike Glynn, the acting president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, said the laws had to be put into place to deal with a serious threat.
It is difficult to discern what the new government’s intention is in implementing these new laws. The government has had a history of heavy handed behaviour regarding the police and law enforcement. Labour has previously given police new laws to search and arrest individuals without cause, in a move that many people have called draconian. Morris Iemma has called for the parents of truanting children to be jailed. This does not lend itself to the view that the government has reviewed all the options available in combating the use of lasers, but rather made a knee-jerk reaction
But it is fair to say that interfering with landing aircraft is dangerous, and a serious cause for concern. While it might not actually bring down a plane, it is incredibly foolish and a constant irritant to pilots, many of whom are flying with hundreds of people on board, or with medical cases. For the time being, the public must support the new laws by giving the government the benefit of the doubt.