Much Ado About Markings - Bible "codes" on Trijicon Sights

There's been much coverage recently of Trijicon (a company located in Wixom, Michigan) has imprinted biblical references on their ACOG scopes and our troops are using those scopes in battle.

Wixom company defends Biblical rifle sights: Inscriptions on troops' weapons there for years, Wixom firm says

Military officials promise to investigate a Wixom company's adding of tiny letters and numbers that refer to Bible passages on gun sights it makes for troops, amid calls by critics to ban the inscriptions.

Trijicon Inc. says it has been adding the inscriptions for years and they have been included on sights that are part of a $660 million contract for hundreds of thousands of scopes used in Iraq and Afghanistan being filled by the 200-employee firm.

But after ABC News first broadcast a story about the sights, Army officials said Tuesday they will investigate whether Trijicon violated federal procurement rules.

The military prohibits proselytizing in the combat zones of the Middle East. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in the Middle East, which manages military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the inscriptions do not violate that prohibition because they are solely for the U.S. military's use.

The Marine Corps, another major customer of the sights that allow troops to pinpoint targets day or night, says officials plan to meet with Trijicon to discuss future purchases.

markings on a scope are hardly proselytizing, and given that they've been there for ears without any issue its hardly worth the current uproar.

Rob Boston, senior policy analyst for Americans for the Separation of Church and State, said the military should demand Trijicon discontinue the practice.

"We have to remember that our struggle in the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan isn't just against terrorism. It's for the hearts and minds of the average people," Boston said. "If the average people in these countries get the impression that the United States is launching some type of new Crusade with the aim of converting population to Christianity, we're going to lose the hearts and minds."

What, a little marking on a scope, unreadable by the target is going to lose hearts and minds and make the excitable muslims beleive our troops are on a "crusade", anyone else think that's highly unlikely? Wouldn't our fundamentalist enemies be in more of an uproar if they're shot by atheist rifles?

This is as stupid as the prohibition on US Forces using Israeli manufactured 5.56mm ammunition in Iraq and Afghanistan but that it can only be used for training.

This is a tempest in a teapot, and the silly faux outrage over the military using some very effective scopes is ridiculous. Personally, I'd prefer they quoted Joshua 10:12-13 on the sight but its their company and they can put on it what they wish.

Interestingly, Michigan seems to be a hot spot for weapons sights development and production. Not only is Trijicon located here, but so is EOTech, the manufacturer of the excellent line of holographic weapons sights (in Ann Arbor of all places).

Remind me to make my next purchase of night sights be Trijicons.