Handheld lasers have been used during recent protests in Hong Kong, with demonstrators sometimes flashing the pointers at police buildings, officers and surveillance cameras.
While laser pointers are not prohibited in the city, police said that under Hong Kong law the pointers can be deemed “weapons” if they are used in or intended for use in an attack.
On August 6, 2019, police arrested Baptist University student union president Keith Fong Chung-yin on suspicion of possessing “offensive weapons” which officers identified as 10 laser pointers he bought in Sham Shui Po.
