Watch Where You Point That Laser
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - And you thought power point presentations were boring. Turns out they're downright dangerous. Or at least that little laser pointer in the hand of the guy trying to make you care about his slide can be.
A Bronx man pled guilty to the crime of shining a laser at a commercial airliner last month, a violation of federal law which makes it illegal to aim a laser at an aircraft or its flight path.
When you hear about aiming a laser, it calls to mind a 1950s sci-fi movie with a million dollar giant beam of light. In fact, the law defines a laser as anything more powerful than five milliwatts.
According to tech website Gizmodo, studies shows that more than 75 percent of lasers - including the ones you use in a power point and the ones you use to annoy your cat fall into that category, and cost as little as $10.
The FAA requires pilots to report any laser sightings in the US. In 2014, there were almost 4000 reported laser sightings by pilots.
So don't ever aim that laser pointer at anything other than your boring slide or your carpet. You'll probably irritate both the humans and the felines who have to watch you but at least you won't violate the law.
