Lasering Incidents
I still don't know how the police found my compound where I ran an illegal searchlight depot/covert blimp airfield/fireworks testing range.
I still don't know how the police found my compound where I ran an illegal searchlight depot/covert blimp airfield/fireworks testing range.
This comic is about pointing lasers at aircraft, which is a federal crime in the USA because the powerful laser light could temporarily distract or blind the pilot, or cause burns and eye injuries if the laser is powerful enough. (This had been previously mentioned in 2481: 1991 and 2021.) It points out that when a laser is pointed at an aircraft, the pilot or anyone else on board can see a glowing line in the color of the laser exactly pinpointing the location of the perpetrator. While the length of the beam itself is invisible in perfectly clear conditions, any particles in the air along their length will be highlighted by the beam, effectively forming a visible line stretching from the laser point to the aircraft. This is especially true in dark conditions, since any reflecting particles will be particularly obvious in such a case. This is related to the old military adage "tracers work both ways", meaning that tracer ammunition reveals the origin point of the bullet just as effectively as it reveals its destination.
Given this, it can be relatively trivial for authorities to identify where the laser beams are coming from, and quickly apprehend anyone committing these crimes. Randall suggests that some people shine lasers at aircraft seem surprised when they're caught, but points out that such a consequence is nearly inevitable. This comic might be a response to the 2024 United States drone sightings, during which many people in New Jersey collectively forgot what a plane is and started pointing laser pointers at them.
The title text parodies this kind of crime by describing a criminal activity which also makes itself particularly obvious, namely illegal fireworks testing, blimp airfield and searchlight depot, the conspicuous activities of all being clearly visible across a wide area. Such depots, airfields and ranges aren't intrinsically illegal in the US, but typically will need some form of official registration; Randall's examples clearly do not obey the appropriate FAA regulations, zoning laws, etc.