Pointing a laser at cops is now a crime in Kansas — here’s what else the new law covers

Kansas adds laser pointer offense to state law

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2347 on Feb. 6, 2026, making it a crime to aim a laser at an on-duty law enforcement officer or an aircraft in flight.

The bill also targets vehicle theft, gift card fraud, and commercial sexual exploitation. Kelly called it a bipartisan bill that takes reasonable steps to keep Kansans safe.

The law covers several types of crime under one package.

Legislature backed the bill by wide margins

The bill carried over from the 2025 session after final negotiations wrapped up. When it came to a vote, the Senate passed it unanimously.

The House came close, with only four votes against. That kind of near-total agreement is rare in any statehouse.

The bill’s broad support reflected a shared concern across party lines about public safety in Kansas communities.

Bill creates a brand-new laser offense

Before this law, Kansas had no state-level crime specifically for laser pointer misuse. House Bill 2347 changes that.

The new offense applies when someone knowingly aims laser light at an on-duty law enforcement officer or at an aircraft in flight, including its flight path.

Violators can also face assault or battery charges on top of the laser offense, depending on the circumstances.

Punishment depends on who you aim at

The law treats the two targets differently. Pointing a laser at an on-duty law enforcement officer is a class A misdemeanor.

Aiming one at an aircraft in flight is a severity level 9 person felony, which carries heavier consequences. Both charges require that the act was done knowingly, so accidental laser contact does not trigger the law.

Some people are exempt from the aircraft rule

The aircraft portion of the law includes several exceptions.

People authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or aircraft manufacturers to conduct research or flight testing are not covered.

Members of the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security acting in an official capacity are also exempt, as are people using a laser emergency signaling device to send a distress signal.

No similar exceptions exist for the law enforcement provision.

Lasers can blind pilots at critical moments

A laser beam fired from the ground can travel more than a mile and light up an entire cockpit. The windows themselves can scatter the beam, filling the space with blinding light.

Pilots can suffer temporary blindness or disorientation during critical moments like landing. The FAA says pilots have reported 328 injuries from laser strikes since the agency started tracking them in 2010.

Laser strikes still hit dangerous numbers

The FAA reported 10,994 laser strikes on aircraft in 2025, according to an FAA press release on laser strike statistics. That was a 14% drop from 2024, when pilots logged about 12,840 strikes.

Federal officials say the numbers remain dangerously high despite that decline. California, Texas, and Florida consistently report the most incidents each year.

Federal law already bans aircraft laser strikes

Kansas is not filling a legal vacuum. Under federal law, aiming a laser at an aircraft has been a federal crime since 2012.

Violators face up to five years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000.

The FAA can also impose civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, rising to about $30,800 for repeat offenders.

The Kansas law gives state and local agencies a tool to prosecute these cases without routing them through federal authorities.

Other states passed similar laws first

Kansas joins a group of states that already criminalize laser misuse.

Texas makes pointing a laser at a uniformed safety officer a misdemeanor, with felony upgrades if injury results.

California treats firing a laser at an occupied aircraft as a potential felony, carrying up to three years in prison.

Arizona classifies intentionally aiming a laser at law enforcement or an occupied aircraft as a felony. Missouri added a similar law in 2021.

Bill also takes on theft and fraud

The legislation goes beyond lasers. It makes theft of a motor vehicle valued between $500 and $1,500 a severity level 10 nonperson felony.

It also adds gift cards to the criminal use of a financial card statute when someone uses them to commit fraud.

Both additions target growing concerns about vehicle theft and scams that often hit vulnerable Kansans the hardest.

Fines and programs target exploitation

The bill raises the minimum fine for buying sexual relations from $1,200 to $2,000. Courts must now order offenders to complete educational or treatment programs on commercial sexual exploitation.

Sen. Kenny Titus said the bill gives law enforcement the tools to protect vulnerable citizens. Rep. Dan Osman called it commonsense legislation that will make Kansas communities safer.

Law takes effect soon with key deadlines ahead

The law takes effect once published in the Kansas statute book.

The attorney general must approve educational and treatment programs for certain offenders by July 1, 2027.

Kansas law enforcement agencies now have a state-level tool to address laser pointer misuse without depending on federal prosecution. The FBI encourages anyone who witnesses a laser strike to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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