It is indeed that time of year. Time for the 65th annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This critical federal legislation specifies the budget and policies for the United States Department of Defense for the next fiscal year. While reading the 3086 pages of a U.S. federal budget document is not quite a cozy winter activity, there is an interesting provision in section 1062 regarding the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Should the budget be signed, the program known for offering M1 Garand rifles and M1911 pistols for sale to civilians would now be set to add military surplus shotguns to their offerings.
NRA-ILA has reported on relevant portions of the NDAA since President Barack Obama signed the FY2016 version, which included NRA-backed provisions such as requiring the Secretary of Defense to establish a process to allow service members in certain locations to carry firearms as well as a cost-saving measure that allowed the U.S. Army to transfer surplus vintage firearms to the CMP for public sale. That effort was meant to end a wasteful government practice of warehousing firearms, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
While that year’s NDAA contained an amendment to transfer up to 10,000 surplus caliber .45 1911/M1911A1 pistols per year, the Obama-Biden administration failed to launch the program entirely. It was not until President Trump took office and signed the FY2017 NDAA into law that the sale of the firearms commenced. As if déjà vu, those sales were largely suspended during the Biden-Harris administration. As President Trump took office in 2025, the program resumed immediately with a more streamlined process for civilians to utilize the CMP.
The FY2026 NDAA is pending, as it passed the U.S. House of Representatives late last week and will head back to the U.S. Senate before ending up on President Trump’s desk for his signature. If signed, the CMP program stands to receive transfer of surplus pump-action shotguns. That provides exciting possibilities for citizens to own a unique piece of history.
Shotguns have long served as iconic trench weapons for close-range firepower. Shotguns have been used by our military since the birth of the nation, with use rising during World War I. That era saw the introduction of the combat shotgun and its unique use by the United States for trench warfare, with Americans being the only military force at the time to bring shotguns to war. The military has continued its love affair with shotguns, as various manufacturers are still contracted to provide combat shotguns to U.S. forces.
Since 1903, the CMP program has served a critical role in promoting America’s continued excellence in marksmanship and firearms safety by providing firearms education, training, and competitions nationwide. While Congress may have oversight of the CMP, the program is truly a non-profit entity raising its own funds, including those garnered from the sale of surplus firearms, for use on firearm education, safety, and training programs.
The CMP report for 2024 outlined the importance of these surplus firearms with, in the last year alone, over 20,000 of these historic firearms having been sold and those sales serving as the “economic engine that funds [the CMP] operation.” NRA-ILA looks forward to an enacted NDAA for 2026 that will continue to support marksmanship and firearms education, along with a whole new nod to patriotic enthusiasm for historic military arms.
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