New bill proposes
to ban sale of laser
pointers to minors

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Minors on Oahu would be barred from buying laser pointers under a bill introduced at the City Council.

The measure by Councilman Duke Bainum also would prohibit the intentional shining of a laser pointer or similar laser device at another person or an animal in a harassing manner.

Bainum, a physician, notes in his bill that laser pointers have the potential of causing temporary or permanent vision impairment if directed into eyes.

A seventh-grader in Kansas City, Mo., suffered permanent eye damage when a friend shined a laser pointer into his eye.

The American Academy of Opthalmology reported that an 11-year-old Phoenix girl had temporary vision loss after staring several times at a laser beam for several seconds.

Such reports have prompted school districts nationally to ban hand-held laser pointers from campuses. Locally, the Department of Education issued a memorandum warning of the dangers of the pointers, and several schools have banned them.

Many mainland jurisdictions have barred the sale of laser pointers to minors, and some officials are worried that laser-pointer light may cause motorists to lose concentration.

Under Bainum's bill, a person found guilty of violating the proposed ordinance would face a fine of between $100 and $500, a jail term of up to 30 days, or both.

While he hasn't seen the specifics of the bill, Council Chairman Mufi Hannemann said he's convinced the city needs to look at laws regulating the pointers.

Hannemann said he was the target of laser pointers at least twice while jogging along the Ala Wai.

"It's annoying . . . a major concern," he said. "It's obviously something that needs to be addressed.

Once used primarily by teachers and others who make presentations, the price of pointers has gone down and manufacturers have developed ways to attract younger buyers.

Youths, in particular, have been drawn to the devices, which now cost as little as $10 or less and feature different types of detachable heads. Today's laser pointers can be seen at a distance of up to 4,000 feet, making it nearly impossible for a victim to spot the person shining it.

Mayor Jeremy Harris could not be reached for comment. While normally not a supporter of government regulation, he might be sympathetic to the bill.

Before a news conference earlier this year, Harris spoke of his irritation at someone who shined a laser pointer on a movie screen during a showing of "Saving Private Ryan."