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US: S. Dakota law proposed to criminalize pointing lasers at police

A bill was introduced in the South Dakota state senate "to make certain uses of laser pointers unlawful." As of January 27 2021, Senate Bill 79 adds a new section stating "If a person knowingly directs light from a laser pointer at a law enforcement officer without the consent of the officer, the person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. For purposes of this section, a laser pointer is a device that emits light amplified by the stimulated emission of radiation that is visible to the human eye."

The provision was proposed by Republican state senator Helene Duhamel. She said it was a result of lasers being used to disrupt or harm officers during nationwide protests in the summer of 2020.

Persons on both sides of the bill were heard at a January 26 hearing.

Duhamel's proposal was supported by associations of sheriffs, police chiefs and state's attorneys. A police officer representing the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police said South Dakota officers have been lased, but he did not know of any who were injured. The officer said he spoke with a Washington, D.C. officer with eye injuries and pain "like a sunburn on his eyeballs" from laser use at a protest

A lobbyist for a defense lawyer association said the proposed law was not needed since assaulting a police officer already is covered by assault statutes.

A Republican state senator said it was "awfully broad" since it prohibited aiming anywhere at a law enforcement officer, not just eyes.

Another lawmaker said the bill does not differentiate between on- and off-duty officers.

A citizen asked why the language does not prohibit aiming at anyone, not just police officers.

As a result of the objections, the bill was deferred two days until January 28, 2021.

From the Rapid City Journal. The entire article goes into interesting detail of the pro and con arguments presented during the hearing.