Aussie gov to treat laser pointers like knives and guns

[Rick]

An Australian regional government has moved to crack down on laser pointers following widely-reported incidents in which the devices have been used to distract and dazzle pilots on commercial flights.

New South Wales (NSW) will class the most powerful types of pointer as if they were firearms, with sentences of up to 14 years for those carrying such devices without a permit.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/21/australian_laser_pointer_crackdown/

(Stories like this have been rumbling for a while... -- Rick.)

[Carole]

Must remember not to take mine on my next trip to OZ.  I flashed it around in Egypt with no problem, so I'm glad of the warning.

Carole