Ranter and I got into a discussion about a proposed ban on lasers > 5 mW on a different thread, and I decided that a discussion of such bans needed a wider audience. Ranter: So far, it's just a suggested guideline. Even as a guideline, it has no legal force, but Congress could then enact legislation incorporating the guideline. jbrenner: Most suggested "guidelines" from the Obama administration become executive orders after a 90-day discussion period. Ranter: True, jbrenner, but this is a more serious matter. The President cannot by executive order ban the manufacture and/or distribution of something is is currently legal. If he does, it would wind up in court and he would lose. The government can regulate commerce, but only under laws passed by Congress and only to the extent of issuing regulations that comply with those laws. The "President:" is not the "Government" -- he is just one of three co-equal branches, and he cannot legislate, even by executive order. jbrenner: Indeed, this is a very serious matter, and unfortunately the President has banned items via executive order already. In theory, the executive branch is one of three co-equal branches, but that is theory. He has stacked the courts and has enough Senate support to stop action by the legislative branch. He is quite literally unchecked. The first link is for an EPA ban on wood burning stoves: http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/20... Within the above link, "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has concluded that Sue and Settle rulemaking is responsible for many of EPA’s “most controversial, economically significant regulations that have plagued the business community for the past few years”. Included are regulations on power plants, refineries, mining operations, cement plants, chemical manufacturers, and a host of other industries. Such consent decree-based rulemaking enables EPA to argue to Congress: 'The court made us do it.'" The remaining links are for Gibson guitars: Obama's concept of what is legal is what he can get away with. He is counting on the fact that we don't have deep enough pockets to get into a protracted legal battle, and in my case, he is right. Note particularly the evidence of political targeting of Obama enemies in the second link below. http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/... http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/26/paper-... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014...