City Council to Discuss Ban on Sale of Laser Pointers in Ocean City

The City Council agenda released early Monday afternoon includes the introduction of a law that would prohibit the sale of laser pointers in Ocean City.

The first reading of "an ordinance banning the sale of laser pointers in Ocean City" will be discussed at the council's public meeting 7 p.m. Thursday, June 23, at City Hall. Any new or revised ordinance requires two affirmative votes by council.

The devices have been the subject of complaints by .

A on June 7 for directing a laser pointer toward a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from the Ocean City Boardwalk. Ocean City was the source of eight other complaints by pilots to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2010.

The Coast Guard and FAA warn that even the inexpensive devices sold to the public pose a significant risk to flight safety, because the lasers can seriously impair a pilot's vision.

But pilots are not the only people being harassed by laser pointers. Pedestrians, drivers and residents in Ocean City have all complained to Ocean City Patch about laser pointers being directed at them.

The Ocean City Police Department and the Boardwalk Merchants Association have both asked for a voluntary ban on laser-pointer sales, but not all business owners have complied.