safely controlling a laser

I have now added a laser to my gantry mill and it's running well with the second mesa 5i25 PWMGEN port controlling it vi G67/G68 commands .. All Good.
I am asking for suggestions regarding controlling the laser when I turn Axis OFF and power is on from my controller, when I do this the laser comes back on, so this is simply a safety issue . I have tried using a pull down resistor (10K) but that had no effect. I next thought about using a spare output pin to turn a relay on when Axis is activated thus allowing the laser to work but not sure about that approach.

Perhaps someone may be able to suggest a better approach. (I can attach any further info if required)
Thanks
Eric

You could use the multispindle features so the mill is spindle 0 and the laser is spindle.0. Combine this with an entry in the tool file thta sets the offsets to the laser from the spindle.

Thanks rodw, sorry I probably did not make myself clear, I have closed axis down so it is no longer running and so the Mesa 5i25 is not under any control, it is floating so to speak, that's when I need a way to ensure the laser does not become active.
Eric

If you have active high PWM you would need a stiffer pulldown to
be low at power up/shutdown, say 1K or 680 Ohm

thanks PCW, 1k pull down was enough, I was just to cowardly to put to much load on it.
eric