Finally, A Laser Gun

Do you know when the gun was invented?  The first firearm was thought to have come into existence around 1132 in China and there is even a deception on record 200 years before that.  Now, when do you think the laser was discovered?  Einstein came up with concept nearly 100 years ago, but the first one wasn't observed until the 50's.  And when do you think the first person came up with the idea of a laser-based weapon?  I don't actually know that answer, but I bet it was the instant some Army general heard about the laser in the 50's.  Lastly, why in the hell do we not have functional laser guns?  Well, actually we do...Finally.  The navy says they are only a couple of years away from having laser cannons installed on their ships.  These laser cannons will be able to shoot down threats like missiles and drones and will also be able to disable an enemy's engines (here is a video of just that).  Contractors are also hard at work in developing other weapons that use lasers for other branches of the military.  In fact, the first combat laser was developed 40 years ago but they wouldn't deploy them because they were considered "too cruel".  Once again, why did it take so long to get back around to making these things?  And don't you think Nixon wished he had those things back when we were in the Vietnam War?  Seriously, what was holding back the development of these things?  Did technology finally come to the point where we can create an effective laser gun?  No, because we know they made them back when computers were as big as a house.  I feel like we have been cheated out of Star Wars-like weapons for far too long and it is about damn time they finally made one.  Too bad it will be a decade from now until you can buy one at your local Walmart.

"Star Wars happened "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." and they had laser guns, why has it taken this long for them to made on Earth?"