At our regional star party, laser pointers were banned when their use was restricted. As an alternative, outreach presenters started using collimated Maglites. A shield was taped to the front of the flashlight, like a dew shield, to prevent stray light and to confine the beam.
While not as effective as a green laser, it is still remarkably effective, and stray light (accidentally hitting a tree, for instance) is not as harmful to night vision as laser light is, nor is the direct light damaging to the eyes as laser light is.
Once government regulations were clarified, the society started training authorized laser pointer users. But the star party only allows laser use by trained and certified people, and only for scheduled outreach presentations.
Edited by kathyastro, 18 February 2024 - 10:12 AM.