ABC News has reported that Trijicon, a supplier of gunsights to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, has been inscribing each gunsight with a reference to a biblical verse. ABC broadcast the news on Monday, and on Tuesday, a Marine Corps spokesperson said that they are looking into the issue.
The so-called Jesus guns or Jesus gunsights (or scopes) have "always been there," according to Tom Munson, director of sales and marketing for Trijicon. He said that the practice began under its founder, Glyn Bindon, who was a devout Christian from South Africa. He was killed in a 2003 plane crash. Munson added that the issue was being raised by a group that is "not Christian."
Ironically, it was reported that Bindon's crash occurred between Gunsight Mountain and Sheep Mountain.
The practice may run afoul of U.S. military rules specifically prohibiting the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan. These were written to prevent possible accusations that the U.S. was embarking on a modern religious "Crusade" in its war against Iraqi, Al Qaida, and Taliban insurgents.
Capt. Geraldine Carey, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps, said in a statement to ABC News that "We are aware of the issue and are concerned with how this may be perceived. We will meet with the vendor to discuss future sight procurements."
However, on Tuesday, Maj. John Redfield, spokesperson for CentCom, the military's overall command in Iraq and Afghanistan, told ABC News that the inscriptions did not violate the directive against proselytizing. "This does not constitute proselytizing because this equipment is not issued beyond the U.S. Defense Department personnel. It's not something we're giving away to the local folks."
On the other hand, it's the perfect opening for the Taliban and Al-Qaida. Lawyer and former air force officer Michael Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group that seeks to preserve the separation of church and state in the military, said: "It's wrong, it violates the Constitution, it violates a number of federal laws. It allows the Mujahedeen, the Taliban, al Qaeda and the insurrectionists and jihadists to claim they're being shot by Jesus rifles." Perhaps, more than anything else, that is the crux of the issue.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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