To be fair, I was offered this option --
but
the only bag I had left that was checkable was my laptop bag and I sure as heck wasn't doing that. If they had offered me an option of just checking (or gate checking!) the laser pointer, I surely would have complied with that.

Update to the the original story:
I was pulled out of line for a "random" security check boarding the plane. This screener had a printed list of what is not approved. No laser pointer on his list.... so should I have taken his list back to the original security point? I couldn't as he insisted I needed to board after my screening was done. <sigh>