China Develops Laser Gun?

To the contrary: Science calls bullshit on China's 'AK-47 laser gun', e.g.

the weapon most likely doesn't exist. The physics are practically impossible. Realistically, the battery alone would have to weigh several hundred pounds to provide the energy needed to fire a hot laser beam a kilometer. Not only that, the beam itself would have a hard time once it left the gun. As the beam passes through the air—and more importantly, the water molecules in the air—the 'heat' of the beam would disseminate, rendering it little more than uncomfortably warm if fired anywhere further than the width of an average living room.

It's probably a press release designed to instill fear in opponents of the Chinese government (right down to the mention of 'illegal protests'). The very idea of an invisible laser that can set you on fire is much more effective than the actual implementation of the weapon itself, because the only thing scarier than this gun is the idea of getting shot by it.

My knowledge of lasers is mostly limited to making air quotes when saying laser, so maybe I'm not understanding this type of laser technology, but couldn't protestors just start carrying mirrors?

Also 6.6lbs is roughly the weight of an AK-47, but I wonder what kind of battery strength it has because I can't imagine it could maintain a significant length of time output? 

The real question is, can they put it on a shark?

I do agree with science.com.  The 'active area denial' system, which only creates heat (but doesn't burn) is on the back of a truck and has a HUGE antenna on it. The Airborne Laser System, which is designed to shoot down ICBM's is in a 747 and takes up basically the entire plane.    So, unless China has also perfected the flux capacitor or pocket sized cold fusion, there's really no way that you can create that much power in a man portable (or shark portable) device. At least, not yet.

Have I seen this laser work? No. Have I seen this laser not work? No.

I think directed energy would be used before burning a person's iris out.

Patent - Weapon having lethal and non-lethal directed-energy portions

Does the shark need a laser? I did see one patent MFAEPS that states their plasma can work underwater operating with the resonant frequency of water. I think I need my tin foil banana hat for that one.

The US Air Force trialed a chemical based laser weapon with some success, but it was cancelled in early 2010s.

The major problems?  It was the size of a jumbo jet and cost more than a half a billion dollars each.

Even if China had the R&D to make such a thing smaller, it would cost so much that outfitting a single normal 12 man rifle squad with them would run whole percentage points of the entire $175 billion Chinese Military budget.

It's on the internet so it must be true. Especially if there is a video of it!!