John Conyers: “Members of the House, when a laser is aimed at an aircraft cockpit, particularly at the critical stage of take-off or…”

“Members of the House, when a laser is aimed at an aircraft cockpit, particularly at the critical stage of take-off or landing, it presents an imminent threat to aviation security and passenger safety. This has now been increasingly recognized, and we propose to do something about it today. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, laser illuminations can temporarily disorient or even disable a pilot during critical stages of flight. And in some cases, a laser might also cause permanent physical injury to the pilot. Since 1990 the FAA has reported more than 400 of these kinds of incidents. The rash of incidents involving laser beams is compounded by the concern that the low cost of hand-held laser devices could lead to even more incidents of these kinds happening in the future. So the measure before us today responds to the problem by amending title 18 of our United States Code to impose criminal penalties on someone who knowingly aims a laser pointer at an aircraft or in its flight path within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. The criminal penalties include imprisonment of up to 5 years and fines.”