Federal offense to have a laser on your gun without applying the sticker?

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"Guns with laser sites that have the warning stickers removed are the preferred weapon of criminals".....coming to a Brady campaign in your neighborhood soon!
 
If I had a laser on a gun, I would take the sticker off.:D

But I haven't been able to figure out why anyone who knows how to shoot would put a laser on a gun in the first place!:p
(Sarcasm intended!:evil:)
 
Source?
Click to expand...

I first caught it in my Lasermax user manual, then I started looking online at laser websites.

Here is what it says in the manual,

SAFETY COMPLIANCE LABELING
Operation of a laser without the required safety labeling may violate federal law. The FDA requires the label supplied with your laser be affixed to the outside of the gun with the arrow pointing to the laser aperture. The label contains the required warning for a class IIIA laser, a certification section stating that LaserMax certifies product complies with FDA regulations, our address, and the month and year of manufacture.
Click to expand...
 
If anyone is in the correct position for my Lasermax to be a danger to them, the likelihood of acute lead poisoning should be a bigger worry to them.
 
In general, I think the laser labels make sense in every case EXCEPT gunsights. A lot of lab lasers just look like nondescript boxes. It's good to know that the device is in fact a laser, and know which of the various openings is the emitting aperture.

Without commenting on the legality of labels, I think the general concensus is that the laser is the LEAST dangerous thing coming out of the business end of a gun.
 
How about warning stickers on bullets?Caution this could put a hole in you.And knives,staplers,nails,sharp sticks,ice cubes,back scratchers,can openers,water,air........man,it's a dangerous world...get a helmet.;)
 
It probably falls under the same stipulation that mattress tags do:
It's a punishable offense if anyone EXCEPT the end user takes off the label.
Darn, I thought I was doing something edgy and rebellious by ripping the tags off my mattress. Guess I'll have to go the carnival and get a bad tatoo.
 
Its an osha thing. So I doesn't apply to you. Osha only has jurisdiction on workplace safety. If your not getting paid is not a job.
 
The reason for the sticker is to communicate hazards to the end user. If a private individual who is an end user removes it, I don't think anyone who acts in a regulatory role (OSHA, FDA, etc) is really going to care. Most of the lasers available to the general public are not a big concern for eye safety, but laser's get smaller and more powerful all of time. Some of the small lasers that are present in the research environment can be very hazardous.
 
What a buncha nonsense!

It's your gun. If it has a laser and you're pointing it and its laser at a violent sociopath, are you truly worried about "being in compliance" with regulations about labeling on a 5 miliwatt laser?

Do you leave your gun plus laser around where kids might play with it, and are you more concerned that they might shine the laser at someone's eyes rather than they might irresponsibly shoot someone with the gun?

Do you fear the possibility of the jack-booted FDA "laser police" assaulting your house at midnight for noncompliance with labeling regulations?
 
Enough is enough!

This has got to stop. Too much guesswork and mere opinion involved in this matter, here, and elsewhere.

I am going to write to the FDA regarding this question. A draft of my letter appears below.

Please offer your comments or additions which might be incorporated before I print and send the letter on Tuesday morning, 13 May 08. Please be as specific and terse as possible in your comments.

If there is an authoritative source on-llne somewhere which actually answers the below questions in a specific way, please offer the links.

I can't seem to find any, but I'm a little search-engine challenged.

Ref:
21 CFR 1040.10-compliant Labels with Laser Sights on Handguns

Good Morning!

I have several questions about the use of these laser sights and the safety labels which come with them.

BACKGROUND:

I recently purchased a set of laser sights for my defensive firearm.

According to the manufacturer's instruction manual, this laser sight has the following specifications:

Laser Type: Class IIIa visible laser diode
Peak Power: 5 mW
Wavelength: 633nm
Color: Red
Beam Size: Approx. 0.5 inches at 50'
Battery Type: (2) CR2032 or DL2032 lithium cells
Battery Life: 4 hours; 5 year shelf life

Also acccording to the manufacturer's instruction manual, "Laser products must only be operated with the safety label applied to the firearm."

The labels (and other portions of the manual) state that they comply with 21 CFR 1040.10.

However, it is apparently common practice for non-Law Enforcement legal civilian end-users of these sights to not actually place these labels on their defensive firearms for various reasons, including:

1. Concern about ruining the finish on non-stainless and plastic firearms (i.e., blued finishes. etc.) because of the unknown character of the adhesives used.

2. Concern about the fact that in the process of cleaning these defensive firearms, the various solvents used will inevitably ruin the adhesives and cause the labels to fall off.

3. Concern about re-mounting the sights on different firearms, where only one set of labels are provided.

4. Concern about the penalties, if any, for an end-user to operate the laser sights without these labels.

Research on this matter indicates a considerable confusion and a lot of guesswork regarding whether it is actually illegal for the civilian end-users of the sights to operate the laser sights without the labels being affixed to the gun.

This is largely in part due to the fact that reviewing the citation (21 CFR 1040.10) reveals a morass of cross-references and language which is confusing to the ordinary mortal.

Given the above practical considerations, I have the following specific questions:

QUESTIONS:

1. Is use of these sights without the warning labels actually illegal? If so, please provide precise citations for this law or these regulations, including the text of any cross-references involved.

2. If use of these sights without the warning labels is legal, please provide precise citations for any exemptions to the labeling requirement with respect to the end-user, including the text of any cross-references involved.

3. If use of these sights without the warning labels is illegal, please provide precise citations indicating this, including the text of any cross-references involved.

4. If use of these sights without the warning labels, is illegal, please provide precise citations indicating the penalties for violation, including the text of any cross-references involved.

5. (Informal) If there are other Agencies or governmental entitities besides the Food and Drug Administration involved in the regulation of these devices which may also have relevant rules, regulations, or statutory authority, please indicate which agencies or entities these might be.

Thank you in advance for providing some firm information on the use of labels on legally-owned and used defensive firearms.

Respectfully submitted,

TAT
Click to expand...

--Terry

(PS: relevant and germaine non-guesswork comment only, please. If you just feel like typing, go write a letter to your Mom.)
 
Hmmm...what's all this writing on my S&W?!?!?!

"CAUTION - CAPABLE OF FIRING WITH MAGAZINE REMOVED"

"CAUTION - CAPABLE OF FIRING WITH LASER OFF"

"CAUTION - CAPABLE OF FIRING IF TRIGGER IS PULLED"

"CAUTION - IF SWALLOWED, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING"

"CAUTION - THIS THING KILLS"

"...continued on next gun" :D


Me: "I would like to get my gun refinished."

Gunsmith: "Well, what kind of finish would you like."

Me: "Something similar to the factory finish. Can you coat it in alphabet?"
 
if it were a federal issuse then it would say so in the manual for the laser and or they wouldnt give you a sticker it would be printed on the device
 
1. Is use of these sights without the warning labels actually illegal? If so, please provide precise citations for this law or these regulations, including the text of any cross-references involved.

2. If use of these sights without the warning labels is legal, please provide precise citations for any exemptions to the labeling requirement with respect to the end-user, including the text of any cross-references involved.

3. If use of these sights without the warning labels is illegal, please provide precise citations indicating this, including the text of any cross-references involved.

4. If use of these sights without the warning labels, is illegal, please provide precise citations indicating the penalties for violation, including the text of any cross-references involved.
Click to expand...

These questions are too similar I had to read them twice to detect the difference.

Try this

1. Is use of these sights without the warning labels actually illegal? If so, please provide:
a)citations for this law or these regulations
b)citations for any exemptions to the labeling requirement with respect to the end-user
c)citations indicating the penalties for violation
For all of these, please also include the text of any cross-references involved.

2. If use of these sights without the warning labels is legal, please provide precise citations for any exemptions to the labeling requirement with respect to the end-user, including the text of any cross-references involved.

3. Are other Agencies or governmental entitities besides the Food and Drug Administration involved in the regulation of these devices which may also have relevant rules, regulations, or statutory authority? Please indicate which agencies or entities these might be.
 
Excellent, akodo! I shall incorporate your insights into the final letter.

Thanks.

On the "other agencies" question, I thought it would be unfair to demand an answer, since they might not know for sure what other agencies could be involved. That's why I made it "informal," to allow them to answer ad libitum if they know, but let it go if they were not sure.

EDITED:

Letter incorporating suggested changes sent 13 May 08
 
Last edited:
Given that the purpose of the label is to clearly identify the light-emitting end of the laser device particularly where that might be ambigous:
Is there really any uncertainty about which end of the laser is the emitting end if it is affixed to a handgun as a sighting device?

And shouldn't the emitting end of the handgun be of more concern than the emitting end of the laser sight?
(That's like the label on the claymore mine: this side toward enemy.)
 
I remember one time reading about a guy that had a laser on his Glock with a warning label when he was stopped while carrying (back when both Glocks and mounted lasers were rather uncommon). The cop demanded to see the weapon, and then spent several minutes staring at it trying to figure out if it was a handgun or some type of laser weapon.

Kharn
 
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