The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is a national organization dedicated to training and educating U.S. citizens in responsible uses of firearms and airguns through gun safety training, marksmanship training, and competitions. The CMP is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) corporation that places a priority on serving youth through gun safety and marksmanship activities that encourage personal growth and build life skills. Mission: Promote excellence in marksmanship and firearms safety through nationwide youth programs, competitions, and partnerships with funding from the restoration and sale of historic American firearms in a secure and accountable process. Vision: To lead the nation in marksmanship excellence providing safe, high quality and innovative programs with a focus on youth. The federal law creating the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety, Inc. (CPRPFS, ''the formal legal name of the CMP) specifically states: In carrying out the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the corporation shall give priority to activities that benefit firearms safety, training, and competition for youth and that reach as many youth participants as possible.'' Any

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

not otherwise legally prohibited from owning a

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

may purchase a military surplus rifle from the CMP, provided they are a member of a CMP-affiliated club. The CMP operates through a network of affiliated private organizations, shooting clubs, and state associations across every

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

in the U.S. which variously offer firearms safety training and marksmanship courses as well as continued practice and competition events. Since its inception, the emphasis of the program has shifted towards specifically youth training. From 1916 until 1996 the CMP was administered by the ''National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice'' (NBPRP), an advisory board to the Secretary of the Army (SA). Title XVI of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (Public Law 104-106, 10 February 1996) created the ''Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice & Firearms Safety'' (CPRPFS) to replace the NBPRP. The CPRPFS is a tax-exempt

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

corporation chartered by the U.S. Congress, but is not an agency of the U.S. government (Title 36, United States Code, Section 40701 ''et seq.''). Apart from a donation of surplus .22 and .30 caliber rifles in the Army's inventory to the CMP, the CMP receives no federal funding. The CMP maintains three main offices: ''CMP North'' at Camp Perry near Port Clinton,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, ''CMP South'' in Anniston,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park in Talladega,

Programs

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) provides surplus U.S. Army rifles for sale, including the M1 Garand, M1903 and M1903A3 Springfield, M1917 Enfield, M1 Carbine, Krag-Jørgenson ,.22 caliber (surplus and commercial target), and commercial target air rifles to members of affiliated organizations. Additionally, the CMP's online store offers ammunition and other accessories, with the M1911 pistol being included in the inventory since 2018. The CMP facilitates training programs focused on promoting safety, responsibility, leadership, and competitive excellence in shooting sports. The organization actively supports, sponsors, and hosts various rifle and pistol competitions nationwide, such as the National Matches at Camp Perry. Previously, the CMP hosted the U.S. Olympics Trials for 10-meter air rifle, and it currently hosts the annual Junior Olympic 3-position air rifle matches along with several national junior championships. Throughout the year, the CMP conducts camps and clinics, including a summer camp program featuring activities in standing air rifle, 3-position air rifle, and, more recently, 3-position smallbore.

Competition Tracker

In July 2003, the CMP launched Competition Tracker, an online results system for the shooting sports. Originally designed specifically for the National Trophy matches, the CMP now uses Competition Tracker as the official results bulletin of every CMP competition. In March 2006, during the

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...

National Championships, the CMP used Competition Tracker, in conjunction with Sius Ascor electronic targets, to provide real-time results on the web. On average, it was 45 seconds from the time a shooter fired a shot to when his or her shot value was seen on the Internet. The CMP is currently researching Visual Image Scoring technology that will allow competitors to score traditional paper targets electronically.

CMP and the military services

The U.S. armed forces are authorized to wear marksmanship competition badges, by each service's regulations. These badges are awarded based on points earned at CMP-sponsored competitions or high placement at special CMP competitions. The following is a list of marksmanship competition badges authorized for wear on U.S. military service uniforms based on points earned at CMP competitions: Examples of US Military EIC Badges

* U.S. Distinguished International Shooter Badge (All services) * Distinguished Rifleman Badge (Army, Air Force, and U.S. Civilians) * Distinguished Marksman Badge (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) * Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge (All services) * President's Hundred Tab/Brassard (Army, Navy, and Coast Guard) * Army Excellence In Rifle Competition Badge (Silver or Bronze) * Army Excellence In Pistol Competition Badge (Silver or Bronze) * Air Force Excellence In Rifle Competition Badge (Silver with Wreath or Bronze with Wreath) * Air Force Excellence In Pistol Competition Badge (Silver with Wreath or Bronze with Wreath) * Navy Excellence-in-Competition Rifle Badge (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) ** National, Navy, and Fleet * Navy Excellence-in-Competition Pistol Badge (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) ** National, Navy, and Fleet * Marine Corps Rifle Competition Badge (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) ** National, Marine Corps, and Division * Marine Corps Pistol Competition Badge (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) ** National, Marine Corps, and Division * Coast Guard Rifleman Excellence-in-Competition Badge (Silver or Bronze) ** National and Coast Guard * Coast Guard Pistol Shot Excellence in Competition Badge (Silver or Bronze) ** National and Coast Guard

History

The CMP originated as part of the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

2 March 1903 War Department Appropriations Act for the purpose of providing

civilians A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civilian enga ...

an opportunity to learn and practice marksmanship skills, should they later be called on to serve in the U.S. military. The

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

considered nothing more important in the way of preparation for war than teaching the young men of the country to shoot straight. The formation was precipitated by the adoption of the M1903 Springfield rifle as the national service rifle with greatly increased range allowing combatants to fire at greater distances from each other, making practice more necessary for good marksmanship. Decline in the use of firearms among civilians meant a majority of young men in the thickly settled parts of the country had never fired a gun, and civilians experienced with popular contemporary lever-action rifles were unfamiliar with modern

bolt action Bolt action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the turn-bolt via a bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (as most users are right-handed). The majority of b ...

rifles like the M1903. Secretary of War Elihu Root recommended teaching civilians how to shoot immediately rather than waiting until hostilities were declared. A National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice was formed to oversee this training of civilians. Board members were the

United States Assistant Secretary of War The United States assistant secretary of war was the second–ranking official within the American Department of War from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940. According to thMilitary Laws of the United States "The act of Augus ...

, two

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officers, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

officer, a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer, eight trustees of the National Rifle Association of America, and eight civilians selected from various parts of the country. Following the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in Europe, the board appointed Colonel S.W. Miller as the first Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) on 9 December 1916. He established the office of the DCM on 13 December 1916 to act as an executive agent of the board.

References

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