No Laser Pointers Through Pisa

It must be well over 18 months ago that, as a guest of the Maltese Tourist board, I was gifted a rather nice ball point pen which had inside its barrel a USB key and at the end, a laser pointer.  This useful and treasured gift has lived in a pocket of my briefcase and has, as a result of my job, travelled with me on at least 40 air flights visiting more than a dozen different countries including Italy last week when I flew in and out of Genoa


This week however Italy, and specifically Pisa airport, seems to have changed the rules (again).  Now laser pointers are apparently banned from passing through security.  I had no way of checking this of course and am not allowed to reason with the teenager on duty because to do so, plays into their hands and they are then allowed to frog march me away for strip searching so I had to say good bye to my faithful traveling companion and allow it to be given away, no doubt to the teenagers cousin who will ask for his present from the airport.  Next week I think it will be fountain pens that will be banned but I am not quite sure.  And sadly nor can you be.