New VCSEL designs are making it possible to fabricate arrays of diode lasers inexpensively on a single wafer.
This really, really creeps me out that any kid will be able to pay a few bucks for a device that can blind people in an instant.
I don't buy it. Despite the coherency of light frequency with a laser, it still heats the atmosphere as it passes through it; i.e. it is not 100% efficient. Several thousand, if not million watts, would be needed to send a laser beam that powerful through that much atmosphere and through glass. A 50 watt laser would quickly dissipate it's energy in heat and wouldn't get very far.
Not to worry........it doesn't have a bayonet lug !
This really, really creeps me out that any kid will be able to pay a few bucks for a device that can blind people in an instant. Diode lasers are comparatively low power and have fairly short coherence distances. Arrays of diode lasers are more likely to be used for things like DVD players than for blinding-light weapons.