Laser Pointers Illegal For Many Mother Lode Youth

Sonora, CA — Through the work of Sheriff´s Deputy Rich Champlin, it has become apparent that a number of Mother Lode schools are having problems with students possessing and maliciously using hand held laser pointers in and around school grounds.

Lt. Dan Bressler says that Champlin was made aware of this fact from school authorities. He then discovered that a store in the Old Town area of Columbia was selling laser pointers to youths 17 years old and younger. That is illegal unless the youths are accompanied by parents or guardians. The store owner immediately halted all such sales.

According to Bressler, laser pointers can cause eye damage. In addition, the piercing light can momentarily distract or even blind a vehicle driver or a pilot.

The Sheriff´s Department is requesting that parents not allow their children access to laser pointers and that businesses that stock them not make them available to juveniles.

Written by Bill Johnson