Defense contractor Trijicon announced they will no longer inscribe scripture references on gun sights made for the U.S. military.

Critics called the scripture references unconstitutional and claimed they broke a government rule banning American troops from proselytizing.

In a statement released Thursday, Trijicon said it will voluntarily provide the military with free kits to remove the scriptures on sights already in use.

The Marine Corps and the Army combined have already purchased more than 300,000 sights from Trijicon.

For nearly 30 years, Trijicon has stamped scripture references on the sights. That's when the company's founder, Glyn Bindon, began the practice.

When he died in 2003 in a plane crash his son, Stephen, took over the company and followed in his father's footsteps.

"Trijicon has proudly served the U.S. Military for more than two decades, and our decision to offer to voluntarily remove these references is both prudent and appropriate," Trijicon President Stephen Bindon said.

One of the scriptures Trijicon had inscribed on the sights is John 8:12: "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

*Originally aired January 21, 2010.