Jet-skis, to some, are a nuisance. Recall the strange story from a few years back, when a schooner captain fired a black-powder pistol toward a jet-skier off the island of North Haven, as a purported “warning shot.”

The incident resonates as a prime example of Maine’s jet-ski debate: clashes between those who desire peaceful, traditional enjoyment of the water, and those who enjoy thrashing about on a one-person, open-water “plaything.”

Nothing could illustrate this better than the captain of a classic Maine sailing ship, firing an antique weapon toward a jet-ski. Hollywood couldn’t have done it better.

The latest sparring in this debate ended last week, when the Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld state law that allows prohibitions of “personal watercraft” from lakes and ponds. A jet-skier had intentionally challenged the ban on Lake St. George in Liberty, to test its legality.

The court sided with tradition: “Given the unique characteristics of personalized watercraft, their size, speed and maneuverability, the Legislature could rationally determine…they pose a unique risk to others on great ponds,” it said.

The court’s determination is also rational. There should be a function for prohibiting watercraft, if they are deemed a safety risk. As the court implied, not all watercraft are created equal – some merit special considerations.

This decision is interesting, when viewed through the tragic prism of Blaine Groetzinger, Alyssa Groetzinger and Jordan Edwards, children of Suzanne Groetzinger, one of two persons killed in the horrific boating crash on Long Lake in Harrison last summer. A jet-ski didn’t kill their mother, but another boat with “unique characteristics” certainly did.

To co-opt the court’s verbiage, powerful speedboats like the one that sliced through the boat carrying Groetzinger and Raye Trott deserve the same scrutiny as jet-skis, given their size, speed, and risk to others.

Two wrongful-death lawsuits were filed last week because of such unique characteristics.

It is logical for the Legislature, since it has the authority to prohibit jet-skis from lakes and ponds, to have the same discussions about too-powerful speedboats. There’s little sense in legislating nuisances, but not real dangers.

A “yes or no” discussion is easier, and wiser, than what happened this past session, when several bills stemming from the Long Lake crash – like horsepower limits and mandatory safety courses – failed to garner support.

These bills died because they opened new avenues in this debate, instead of focusing on the core question: should certain vessels be allowed on Maine’s lakes and ponds, and if so, where.

Maine’s highest court, last week, stated the Legislature holds this power.

When lawmakers return to Augusta, this is a power they should exercise.