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Cyrus Farivar-June 4, 2014 at 5:20 PM UTC

In response to growing concerns about aircraft launching laser pointers (also known as "laser strikes"), the FBI has expanded its new $10,000 award program to the entire United States, including Guam and Puerto Rico. Anyone who provided the FBI with information that led to the arrest of the person who carried out the laser attack could receive thousands of dollars.

This seems to be a stupid thing, but laser strikes against airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft have become an increasingly popular epidemic nationwide. Since the FBI began tracking in 2005, there have been more than 17,000 laser attacks—one in five (3,960) in 2013 alone. In the first three months of 2014, the FBI reported an average of 9.5 incidents per day.

Although there were no serious casualties, the pilot stated that being hit by a laser could be a terrifying experience and could lead to temporary blindness.

Joe Campbell, assistant director of the Criminal Investigation Department of the FBI, said in a statement released on Tuesday: “Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious matter and violates federal law.” Effectively reducing the number of incidents, we hope Expanding the plan is that people will think twice when using these devices illegally. "

The FBI’s announcement came when David Walter Fee, a 22-year-old man from Fresno, California, admitted to pointing a laser pointer at a California Highway Patrol plane as many as 50 times.

As Ars reported last month, Fresno has become the capital of the United States for laser strike convictions and one of the largest cities in the 34 counties of the Eastern District of California. Fei’s case is the ninth conviction in the region under federal law.

Coupled with convictions from 20 other states in the same region, this Federal District alone has accounted for 35% of 80 laser strike convictions across the country (state and federal) since the FBI began tracking ten years ago.

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