Are night vision devices restricted/controlled merchandises?

[Alin]

I was flipping through Jane’s: Police and Homeland Security Equipment, 2007-2008 reference book the other day at the local library and counted at least 20 different brands of night vision devices/scopes made in U.S., U.K., Israel and Europe, some of which are Generation 2 or Generation 3 tubes. I look-up some of the brands on the Internet and a few of manufactures have commercial outlets.

So a civilian can theoretically obtain a state-of-the-art, 3rd generation night vision optic if the person has the time and the money.

In one of the scene in the film Alien VS Predator – Requiem (2007) the female protagonist return home from a military tour and present her daughter with a night vision goggle. Bloggers and military enthusiasts were up in arms over the goggle being a military-controlled item which is illegal to be taken off-base. To be frank, at first I was surprised when she pulled the goggle out of her bag. Then I thought maybe that is her goggle. She could have procured her own night vision goggle with her own money (and the film-makers, instead of obtaining a commercial product, used a military model as a substitute). I mean it can’t be that unusual for a soldier to go out of his/her way to obtain equipment with personal fund, especially with a logistic system that at one time doesn’t know what toilet paper is (film: Operation Petticoat, 1959).rofl

I also remember there was a news article a few months ago about U.S. government being concerned about night vision devices being exported "illegally" through commercial channel to terrorist organizations.

So back to my question, are night vision devices restricted/controlled merchandises?

[Alfacentori]

In Oz you can legally buy and own Gen 1 and 2 goggles and scopes etc but Gen 3 are illegal unless you are in the ADF, not sure about US, UK etc

Alfa

[helomech]

Depends on the generation of goggle and what application it was manufactured for

Aviation goggles for the most part,that is what the military is currently using are controlled items

[T3ngu]

I looked into this a while back. As with what the others have said Gen 1 and 2 are ok, but Gen 3 is restricted.

[Col.O'neill]

There were so many factual errors in AVPR its not even funny. The female protagonist was sapposed to be in the army meanwhile she has desert marpat fatigues on lol. I cant remember what trade she was sapposed to be it wasnt a helicopter pilot, yet somehow she knows how to fly a helicopter? When there escaping the city they all jump into the "stryker" when its obvious its not a stryker lolz. that movie was soooo bad yet hilarious ie when the blonde chick gets stuck to the wall with a predator shuriken lol.

[Eztyga]

Yep, tried to mail order some from the US, even tried to buy a beta light for chart reading and they wouldn't sell it to me!

Didn't matter, managed to find a place out here that sold that sort of stuff.

Ezy

[Rynnäkkökivääri]

Very expensive, but you can get decent night vision, at least in the US.

[LineDoggie]

I was actually going to buy some New AN/PVS-14 Gen III's from the GG&G. Not horribly expensive, IMO.

[ßå$tĮТHÏ¿ð]

I was under the assumption that US NVG's cannot be exported due to having US made imaging tubes, how-ever they can be bought state side by citizens. That's what I was told a couple years ago, how-ever it may have changed by now and allowed export.

[CG51]

I was actually going to buy some New AN/PVS-14 Gen III's from the GG&G. Not horribly expensive, IMO.

$4300.00 is not that expensive?

[Eztyga]

$4300.00 is not that expensive?

I bought an Omega wrist watch for $4000 the other day, so no, not really.

Ezy

[seraosha]

What's a $4,000 dollar watch like?

[Eztyga]

What's a $4,000 dollar watch like?

It tells the time, just far more exclusively...

Ezy

[Andromeda]

You'll do some pritty good time in the bird house for having NVG's or any NV device in california for that matter. Atleast as far as I'm aware of.

[SMGLee]

You can have any NVD or NVG you want in Kalifornia, but you can not mount them to your weapon.

[Andromeda]

^ I stand corrected.

[redhawk_six]

When there escaping the city they all jump into the "stryker" when its obvious its not a stryker

You're partly right. It's an early prototype of what eventually became the stryker/lavIII series.

Real Strykers/LavIII's aren't exactly something a production company can go pick up anywhere. They're provide for film by the US Army/General Dynamic, at great expense to the production company. It's easier and cheaper to rent these older, privately owned armoured vehicles.

As for night vision, there are comercial versions of the pvs-7 avaliable, depending on your country's laws.