Deploy the anti-pirate laser!

[Smeghead]

Yes. An anti-pirate laser.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12154117

A Laser cannon is being develloped to be used on ships against pirates. Sounds too awesome to be true? It is. It's only meant to be used to blind the pirates.

"But further safety testing is needed before such a system could be commercially deployed"

It's basically a weapon meant to blind people. Why would you need more safety testing?

[Lyinginbedmon]

Presumably to make sure they aren't blinded permanently, thus avoiding a whole slew of lawsuits from permanently debilitating someone.

Still worth it for this artist's impression though

[Elomin Sha]

Laser? Pffft. Sink the buggers I say, get a heat ray. ULLA!

[GreigKM]

Laser guns used against pirates... Why isn't that the plot of a comic?

[Vanguard]

I haven't read the article yet, so I can only hope they're building this to use on space pirates...

EDIT: Damn

[empath]

Presumably to make sure they aren't blinded permanently, thus avoiding a whole slew of lawsuits from permanently debilitating someone.

Lawsuit?!

That'd be greeted with counter-suits for mental and/or physical harm arising from kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, mental anguish, assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft...

Not to mention criminal charges for...well..."Piracy with violence" which, until as recently as 1998 was a capital crime. Now it just carries the price-tag of life imprisonment. Nothing big.

Yeah, have fun proving that permanently blinding a CAREER CRIMINAL is NOT 'due force' applicable to 'self-defense or defense of another' against ASSAILANTS ARMED WITH MILITARY-GRADE WEAPONS. I say just be happy it's your eyes and not some other round body parts...

[Lyinginbedmon]

Ah, but the actus reus of piracy is to board a vessel belonging to another and willfully commit theft and assault etc. upon the inhabitants and crew.

By blinding them before they attack, they aren't committing piracy and therefore aren't pirates at the time of the act. You may however catch them on outstanding warrants, but they'd still be liable to sue for blinding.

I just came back from a Criminal Law exam, my head is still full of it.

[empath]

Oh, BEFORE they board? Agreed, that changes things - I thought the pic was just someone's idea about it, not straight from the article.

You do have a point; not to mention misunderstandings and misuse. A smuggler could use it to blind Coast Guard/Customs/Inland Revenue personnel engaging in their lawful duties, or some jumpy and paranoid merchant sailor could end up blinding a boatload of rowdy partiers who just cruise too close to the cargo ship.

Yet another genie is being yanked out of a bottle, and we'll never get it back in...


Hope ya did well on the exam tho!

[Lyinginbedmon]

Somehow I think it'd be tricky to use this thing after you've been boarded, which is where the legal issue comes in.

[Metcarfre]

Maybe because it would be better than trying to snipe said pirates from the deck of a moving ship?

Or navies in general are looking at deploying "less-lethal" options...

[CtMolloy]

HAHARRRR! This seems like a bad idea to me! *waves cutlass around*

[TheRocket]

Just get the people who built the Calgary Downtown Deathray.

[Keab42]

Laser? Pffft. Sink the buggers I say, get a heat ray. ULLA!

You win the thread.

[LogicSword]

Wouldn't the eye-patches stop the laser from working though? They could just switch the eye it was over to the working one and that'd save their sight.

[EnglishMQ]

Clearly they have never seen the Expendables, or else they would know the simplest way to deal with Pirates is hire a series action starts from the 80's and B List movies.

[sdhonda]

Methinks the shadowy federation of ninja's had some part in the development of this.

[AlexanderDitto]

All I have to say is:

PEW PEW PEW

[empath]

Methinks the shadowy federation of ninja's had some part in the development of this.

Shhhhhhhh!


Do you wanna turn up dead?

[sdhonda]

It's an open secret. One need only look at the situation to figure it out. The specifics will never be known, but from the outcome, it's obvi-

[wildmandan]

Can they be mounted on sharks?

[Aeralis]

Easily the most awesome headline of 2011.

Maybe even of 2010.

[Smeghead]

Easily the most awesome headline of 2011.

Maybe even of 2010.

So awesome it bends the laws of time and space and goes back in time to last year?

[Agloriouscuppa]

Has no one said I'ma firin my lazors! yet?

[Phailhammer]

Didn't this, or something like it, come up in a Whatever Thing? Something about a laser and a 'less-lethal-weapons department.'

[Smeghead]

Didn't this, or something like it, come up in a Whatever Thing? Something about a laser and a 'less-lethal-weapons department.'

Yes, and that laser ignited things.... that's an idea. Use that laser instead. If the pirates catch fire; well they just have to jump overboard