ARE THERMAL RIFLESCOPES LEGAL TO POSSESS IN CA?

[Gundiver]

This law also makes it sound like a weapon mounted light is illegal. Is that for real?

[Mute]

This law also makes it sound like a weapon mounted light is illegal. Is that for real?

Please look over this post. It gives a fairly concise answer to your question. Regardless of whether or not the device is mounted to a weapon, the answers still hold true:

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=851285

[saki302]

BTW- an IR light or laser will be completely invisible to a thermal scope.
Passive night vision, sure.

-Dave

[Quiet]

This law also makes it sound like a weapon mounted light is illegal. Is that for real?

Not legal for hunting in CA. [FGC 2005(a)]



Fish and Game Code 2005

[sbo80]

According to physics...
Thermal infrared energy, commonly known as heat, is a form a light energy that is not visible to the naked eye.

I brought this up in another thread (that I never did go back to). If we're picking apart the definition of which wavelengths of radiation count as "light", we're going to lose in court. They'll take the "legislative intent" and "plain meaning" and it would lose. Clearly the PC is written to mean they don't want any "unfair advantage" to hunters, which a modern thermal would fall under even if it wasn't in existence when the PC was written. SWIR and MWIR is only a few hundred nanometers different than visible light, and by any high school science book, it is "light".