Aussie gov to treat laser pointers like knives and guns / The Register, 21 April 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/21/australian_laser_pointer_crackdown/
"An Australian regional government has moved to crack down on laser pointers following widely-reported incidents in which the devices have been used to distract and dazzle pilots on commercial flights. New South Wales (NSW) will class the most powerful types of pointer as if they were firearms, with sentences of up to 14 years for those carrying such devices without a permit."