Whiskey Papa,
Salut!
I think we're slightly at cross purposes....
I wasn't looking for an excuse, but an explanation....
I may be wrong of course, but I would think in the majority of cases the "perps" are not really aware of how narrow and blinding the beam is even at a range of a mile and more. They just treat it as a glorified flashlight... until the police shows up on their doorstep. There may not necessarily always be malevolent or criminal intent.
You're a professional user. You read the instructions....
"These devices have a large notice (and pictogram) saying Class X laser - It is dangerous to point device directly at the eye."
Do these people (who bought it on eBay) understand that does not just mean "across a room", but also at over a mile away?
" The instruction book also covers the safety issues."
1) You assume the "perps" can read.
2) Don't get me started on "safety instructions". These days, the few vital instructions are buried in a sea of irrelevant nonsense, which is there only for legal reasons.
"Do not dry the wet fur of a live animal in your microwave" comes to mind.
"Do not place a container containing liquid on top of the unit", this in the "safety" instructions for our flat-screen TV with a 1/4" upper edge, hardly the place for a vase of flowers...
I'm back to my original question... more education or just repression?
CJ