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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-06 10:51:44 -04:00

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LegalText 18 U.S.C. § 39A Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft us united_states_code code_section 18 CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 2 AIRCRAFT AND MOTOR VEHICLES 39A 18 U.S.C. § 39A current 119-100 2026-06-26 official https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc18@119-100.zip /us/usc/t18/s39A data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml 3a712ab4d5fd5845c36c7e2a14e3742de952168e35f0ead04f2cbf25c1aa18d1 1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708 e32131a6b79b1be2edb7bdbc1b518b2a95b4e865a42a27f132746e4305af7595 2026-07-04 official
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18 U.S.C. § 39A - Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft

Text

(a) Offense.— Whoever knowingly aims the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, or at the flight path of such an aircraft, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

(b) Laser Pointer Defined.— As used in this section, the term “laser pointer” means any device designed or used to amplify electromagnetic radiation by stimulated emission that emits a beam designed to be used by the operator as a pointer or highlighter to indicate, mark, or identify a specific position, place, item, or object.

(c) Exceptions.— This section does not prohibit aiming a beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft, or the flight path of such an aircraft, by—

(1) an authorized individual in the conduct of research and development or flight test operations conducted by an aircraft manufacturer, the Federal Aviation Administration, or any other person authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct such research and development or flight test operations;

(2) members or elements of the Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security acting in an official capacity for the purpose of research, development, operations, testing, or training; or

(3) by an individual using a laser emergency signaling device to send an emergency distress signal.

(d) Authority To Establish Additional Exceptions by Regulation.— The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, may provide by regulation, after public notice and comment, such additional exceptions to this section as may be necessary and appropriate. The Attorney General shall provide written notification of any proposed regulations under this section to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, not less than 90 days before such regulations become final.

(Added Pub. L. 11295, title III, § 311(a), Feb. 14, 2012, 126 Stat. 65.)