Civilian Marksmanship Program

CMP traces its history back to 1903 when it was launched by the U.S. Army, but in 1996, the organization was privatized by an act of Congress creating the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearm Safety, which is responsible for governing the Civilian Marksmanship Program. ^{3 2}

Background

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is an organization dedicated to training citizens in responsible firearms use, gun safety training, marksmanship training and competitions. ¹ CMP headquarters are the grounds of Camp Perry Ohio National Guard Training Facility in Port Clinton, Ohio. ⁴

CMP operates through about 5,500 affiliated clubs across the United States. ⁴ It sanctions more than 1,000 local and regional shooting competitions each year. ²

The program provides firearm safety training in more than 4,200 affiliated organizations that include the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), 4-H Shooting Sports Clubs, Boy Scouts of America chapters, summer youth camps, and gun clubs. ⁵

In 2023, CMP helped produce and ship 26,636 rifles for the U.S. Army’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command’s Static Display and Ceremonial Rifle program. It also funds instructor resources for JROTC to support the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force marksmanship programs. ⁵

CMP also manages the Distinguished Badge awards program, which was initiated by the U.S. Army in 1884. ²

In 2023, CMP awarded $250,000 in scholarships to 114 graduating seniors who participated in shooting-related programs in the JROTC, 4-H, and the American Legion. ⁶

The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division has investigated several cases in which weapons went missing from CMP locations. In 2024, 31 pistols went missing at a CMP site in Fort Moore, Georgia. That same year, 98 guns went missing from a CMP location in Anniston, Alabama. ³

History

The Civilian Marksmanship Program traces its lineage to 1903 when the Congress and then-President Theodore Roosevelt established the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and the National Matches. The U.S. Department of War (later merged into the U.S. Department of Defense) initially ran the program. ² In 1903, it was originally called the Office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship. ⁷

It was established for total military preparedness with a mission to train U.S. citizens in rifle skills so they would be ready if they had to be inducted into the military when necessary. ⁸

Starting in 1916, the program was administered by the U.S. Department of the Army. ⁹ By the early 1990s, the Army was spending about $5 million annually for the program. ⁹

In 1990, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined the program’s goals by that point were not linked to U.S. Army mobilization plans. The GAO report said: “If usefulness is defined as a measurement of whether this program contributes to the military preparedness of the United States today, we believe that the CMP is of limited value.” ⁸

In 1996, Congress passed a law creating the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearm Safety as a nonprofit responsible for governing the newly privatized Civilian Marksmanship Program independent of the U.S. Army. ^{3 2} The 1996 law also authorizes the CMP to sell surplus U. S. government rifles to qualified U. S. citizens “for marksmanship.” ¹⁰

Leadership

Gerald O’Keefe is the chairman of the board of directors for the Civilian Marksmanship Program. He was an active-duty U.S. Army member for 27 years until 2008. After that, he worked in senior level civilian positions in the Department of the Army, including as administrative assistant to the Secretary of the Army from 2013 to 2018. ¹¹

Carmen Allegra is the vice chairman of CMP’s board of directors. Allegra is an emeritus professor at the University of Florida Department of Medicine. He is deputy editor of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and a senior clinical investigator for the NSABP Foundation. ¹¹

Retired Army Lieutenant General Gary H. Cheek is the treasurer of the CMP’s board of directors. He had a 38-year career in the U.S. Army. He served as director of the Army Staff in the Pentagon, deputy commanding general at U.S. Army Central Command, and as a brigade commander in Afghanistan. After his U.S. Army career, Cheek was the first director of the Bass Military Scholars Program at Vanderbilt University. ¹¹

Launi Meili is the secretary of the CMP’s board. Meili is the head coach of the Air Force Academy’s rifle program. She previously competed in shooting for USA Shooting for 10 years, and participated in two Olympic Games, two Pan Am Games, and a World Championship. She won an Olympic gold medal in Barcelona in 1992. ¹¹

Jim Sumpter is the corporation’s special projects officer and inspector general for the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearm Safety, which is responsible for governing the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Sumpter is a former Marine and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense. ¹¹

Gary Anderson was the director of CMP from 1999 to 2009. After retirement, he remained in a part-time capacity in consulting. He joined the U.S. Army after becoming an Olympic gold medalist in shooting in 1964. He is a former executive director of general operations at the National Rifle Association. ¹²