Episode Details

Rachel from Night Fision joins State of the Second and clears up the name first: people hear it and assume night vision, but the company makes sights, not night vision optics. Night Fision builds tritium iron sights and optics-ready backup sights, and Rachel argues they make the best sights on the market. She traces the company's roots to Kamenga, which has been around a little over 30 years and produces the compass used by the US military, and explains that Night Fision took that experience selecting and inserting tritium and applied it to firearm sights. The conversation covers why sights matter more than most new owners think, how tritium is regulated by the NRC even though it is safe, and why the company leans on hot yellows and oranges for front sights based on how human eyes see color.

The discussion moves into practical guidance for new gun owners. Rachel walks through how to tell whether a gun can even accept aftermarket sights, why tritium in both the front and rear is the right starting point, and why a choice like a blacked-out rear comes later, after experience. She and the hosts spend real time on the value of building a relationship with a local gun shop, asking questions without embarrassment, and not relying on Google or YouTube alone when you do not yet have a way to tell good information from bad. The conversation also gets into the manufacturing reality of dovetail tolerances, why sights have to stay put on a slide cycling under heavy force, and a shared wish that the industry would settle on standardized sight footprints and optics patterns.

The back half turns to the second amendment fight. GOA's lawsuit over the zero-tolerance policy frames a larger point: gun stores are frontline workers for the community, providing education, maintenance, and a place to ask questions, and shutting them over a clerical error harms law-abiding owners rather than criminals. Rachel, a firearms instructor in New York, gives a firsthand account of life after Bruen. She describes the state's strong reaction, new permit requirements of 16 classroom hours plus two range hours, expanded restrictions on where you can carry, and the ongoing court fights to win some of those locations back. She pushes back on the wild west narrative and on the caricature of who gun owners are, then closes with where to find Night Fision, Glow Rhino, and Kamenga online.

Questions this episode answers

What is the difference between Night Fision and night vision?

Despite the name, Night Fision does not make night vision optics. The company makes firearm sights, specifically tritium iron sights and optics-ready backup sights.

How is Night Fision connected to Kamenga and the US military compass?

Night Fision traces its roots to Kamenga, a company that has been around a little over 30 years and produces the compass used by the US military. Night Fision took Kamenga's experience selecting and inserting tritium and applied it to firearm sights.

Why is tritium regulated by the NRC even though it is safe?

Rachel of Night Fision is clear that tritium itself is safe, so safety is not the reason it falls under regulation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversees tritium in firearm sights even though it poses no danger to the user.

Why do front sights use hot yellows and oranges instead of blue?

Night Fision leans on hot yellows and oranges for front sights because of how the human eye perceives color. Those colors are easier for the eye to pick up quickly, which helps the shooter find the front sight.

What should a new gun owner check before buying aftermarket sights?

First confirm the gun can even accept aftermarket sights. Rachel recommends starting with tritium in both the front and rear, and saving choices like a blacked-out rear for later once you have more experience.

Why do some shooters switch to a blacked-out rear sight?

A blacked-