Where to buy lasers in myrtle beach

It's part of the reason why U. Coast Guard Officials say they are cracking down on the novelty lasers. Commander Brian Lefebvre of U. Coast Guard in Charleston says the lasers, when pointed at search and rescue helicopters, can cause blindness and potentially force pilots to land.

Coast Guard officials say two search and rescue choppers have been grounded in two weeks in the Myrtle Beach area, including an incident on July 26 that hampered efforts to find two missing boaters near the Apache Pier. The incident compelled Coast Guard officials to send out a letter detailing their intentions to pursue new ways to enforce the South Carolina state law against shining a laser light at an aircraft.

Myrtle Beach Police Lieutenant Doug Furlong says they're doing everything they can to keep the green laser problem in check, but the sheer number of calls the department is forced to respond to takes away valuable time officers could be making use of elsewhere. The City of Myrtle Beach has an ordinance against green lasers, preventing minors from purchasing or owning them without parental supervision.

The law also allows police to charge anyone caught shining the lasers at people or planes with a misdemeanor. Furlong says even with the law on their side, police have a tough time making sure vacationers know the rules. US Coast Guard Officials were unable to elaborate on what their new enforcement actions could entail. The widespread use of green laser toys by party-goers along Myrtle Beach piers and beaches is disrupting Coast Guard rescue efforts and endangering helicopter crews.

If the Coast Guard is going to continue rescue operations along Myrtle Beach shores, the reckless behavior of shining green lasers at our helicopters must stop. Twice in the last two weeks, our Coast Guard helicopters were grounded in the middle of rescue missions when the flash of green lasers hit pilots searching for people in distress.

The popular green laser toys, sold widely at beachfront shops, may seem fun or cool but create a serious hazard for our crews and force them to abandon their rescue missions. Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. New posts. Search forums. Log in. Install the app. Contact us. Close Menu.

Home Forums Lasers Reviews. JavaScript is disabled. Possession of lasers over 1 milliwatt by minors would be illegal, under a proposal introduced February 26 in the South Carolina House of Representatives. On April 18 , H. The bill was introduced by Representative Liston Barfield. He represents Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach , resort towns which have been plagued with incidents of laser pointer harassment by youths and others.

In , there were more than 70 area incidents where laser pointers were aimed at aircraft, including Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations that were abandoned due to fear of laser exposure.

The ordinance would make it illegal to sell lasers over 1 milliwatt, or to sell any green laser to persons under Minors misusing lasers would be prosecuted in Family Court, plus parents would be held responsible and could be fined or jailed.

In addition, a warning would be required with the sale of every laser pointer. Laser pointer regulations passed in in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach have not proven effective in stopping laser misuse, especially against aircraft. Two Coast Guard helicopter missions were cut short due to laser interference. A meeting was held with local officials, including representatives from Myrtle Beach, the Coast Guard, the Chamber of Commerce and the Horry County Council, to discuss options.

The director of airports said that existing ordinances are not enough. The topic will continue to be discussed at future county council meetings. The green-laser devices had been flying off the shelves at Boardwalk shops.

There have been two cases in which juvenile males who were caught pointing lasers at state police helicopters, and each were apprehended and prosecuted, Kerr said. Fines were assessed, and the boys both ended up sentenced to public service. There were also several occasions in which troopers were not able to find out who shone a laser into the cockpit of their medevac helicopter.

State police have documented less than 10 laser pointing incidents since , Kerr said. Most occurrences are during landing, when Kerr says crews are most vulnerable.

The laser beam itself fragments as it extended farther from its source, reflecting and bouncing around the cockpit.

At night, it can come as a blinding momentary flash. They think it's fun, without any concept of what they're doing on the other end," he said. This is serious stuff. In those seconds, a catastrophe can occur. There's no question about it. Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said he finally decided to ask town leaders for a ban this year because police had seen calls for service for laser pointer abuse in a three-year period. He also cited aircraft concerns, and the effects of lasers directed into another person's eyes, as reasons for the ban.

We have a small force that deals with a large population in the summer months. Whatever I can do to make sure we provide the best service for the community, I'm going to do that. Since the Town Council passed the ban May 19, there have been no incidents or arrests for laser pointer abuse, said police department spokeswoman Lindsay O'Neal. There are still opportunities for legitimate, noncriminal laser pointer use, according to Guy Ayres, Ocean City's attorney, who wrote the law banning laser abuse.

And that's OK. We certainly didn't want to fashion an ordinance that made that illegal. Boardwalk tram operators had been targeted by rogue laser pointer users as well, said Steven Bartlett, operations manager for Ocean City's Public Works Transportation department. He said his office tracks laser abuse incidents in a daily logbook. Last summer, there were three instances of tram drivers being lasered, without serious injury.

So far this year, there were none. It's also a problem for municipal bus drivers on Coastal Highway, he added, when laser pointers come shining down from the high rises on Condo Row.

It does happen and it's mainly on weekends when there's larger numbers of people here. This is just a nuisance, and we don't want anybody getting hurt, which is why we report it," Bartlett said. For the people selling the laser pointers, business had been very, very good.