Well do tell ! I know you asked about the night vision goggles too.
Yes I did ...especially after learning about the suppressors......the answer...and into much more detail than I am posting........Night Vision Goggles....illegal to use for hunting....it is an electronic device which is not listed in the exceptions...therefore is illegal.
You may not even have them in your possession while hunting...having a gun (not a concealed firearm with LTC) and being in the woods is prima facie evidence of hunting.
Mr. Paul:
Per Rep. -------- request, I forwarded your e-mail to Rich Palmer, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Protection Director.
The bottom line is that you can use the night-vision device to aid in your navigation, but you may not use them to aid in the hunt. The general prohibition against any electronic devices to be used for hunting contained in Title 58 section 141.6 (6) “Hunt or take wildlife through the use of an electronic contrivance or device not permitted by Commission regulation.” The only permitted devices are listed in Title 58 section 141.18 and do not include any form of night vision equipment. So, the answer Mr. Paul has received is correct; he can use night vision binoculars for general navigation purposes to access hunting locations, but cannot use the device in any manner to “hunt,” which is defined in Title 34, Section 102: “Any act or furtherance of the taking or killing of any game or wildlife, or any part or product thereof, and includes, but is not limited to, chasing, tracking, calling, pursuing, lying in wait, trapping, shooting at…” So, the legality of night vision binoculars has nothing to do with whether they are or are not part of a sighting system of a firearm or other implement of taking, but if they are used in any manner to locate game or furbearers.
The issue is very similar to that of hand held radios (walkie-talkies), which can be used for general communication, but may not be used as part of the hunt or to indicate to others the direction or locations of game.
So, if the hunter was simply using these night vision binoculars as a general navigation aid to locate an access to a hunting location without using another light source that would be legal. But, if the hunter then used the device to watch a field for predators during the hunt, or to locate animals to hunt, that would be an unlawful use of the device in accordance with the legal references mentioned above.
Thank you,
Jerry Feaser
Press Secretary
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Also no License is need to own a suppressor in PaIt is a common misconception that an individual must have a "Class 3 License" in order to own NFA firearms. This is not the case. One must only have a Class 3 license (more properly known as an 03 SOT) to buy and sell NFA firearms as a business. Individual owners do not need any license under the NFA to buy Title II firearms. The purchase and sale of NFA firearms is, however, heavily taxed and regulated, as follows.
All NFA items must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Private owners wishing to purchase an NFA item must obtain permission from the ATF, obtain a signature from the county sheriff or city or town chief of police (not necessarily permission), pass an extensive background check to include submitting a photograph and finger prints, fully register the firearm, receive ATF written permission before moving the firearm across state lines, and pay a tax. The request to transfer ownership of an NFA item is made on an ATF Form 4.[4]
NFA items may also be transferred to corporations (or other legal entities such as a trust). When the paperwork to request transfer of an NFA item is initiated by an officer of a corporation, a signature from local law enforcement is not required, and fingerprint cards and photographs do not need to be submitted with the transfer request. Therefore, an individual who lives in a location where the chief law enforcement officer will not sign a transfer form can still own an NFA item if he or she owns a corporation. This method has downsides, though, since it is the corporation (and not the principal) that owns the firearm. Thus, if the corporation ever dissolves, it must transfer its NFA firearms to the owners. This event would be considered a new transfer and would be subject to a new transfer tax.
US National Firearms Act Stamp, affixed to transfer forms to indicate tax paid.
The tax for privately manufacturing any NFA firearm (other than machineguns, which are generally illegal to manufacture) is $200. Transferring requires a $200 tax for all NFA firearms except AOW's, for which the transfer tax is $5 (although the manufacturing tax remains $200).