Laser Sight Rarely Encountered

The laser sight--essentially a fancy, battery-powered flashlight that projects a red beam of light on its target--appears nothing if not menacing at first glance. But specialists say the device, available at sporting goods stores over the last decade for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1,000, has failed to earn much of a niche among gun enthusiasts. “It really hasn’t found too much favor with the vast majority of marksmen because it flat out doesn’t work all that well; it can’t replace good marksmanship,” said Fred Romero, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and currently a field representative for the National Rifle Assn. The device, which police say was used by a suspect in the fatal shooting of Detective Russell Kuster, can often zero in on its target up to a hundred yards away at night. But dealers say the sights are used mainly by military and law enforcement personnel to aid rapid fire. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy JW Whitmarsh of the department’s firearms lab said deputies rarely have to face them on the streets.