Congress Authorizes CMP to Acquire and Sell Surplus Shotguns in 2026 Defense Bill

The Federal Government is full of programs and departments that we have never even heard of.  However, some of these creations do offer up great services to us citizens like the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).  Established in the early 1900’s it was designed by Congress to help promote firearm training especially among the youths.

This has led the CMP to be authorized to sell off military rifles and eventually handguns over the years to the civilian public.  The sale of these guns help further the programs mission of promoting firearm safety and shooting sports throughout the U.S.  Over the years collectors have had an opportunity to purchase a wide variety of historical weapons at a reasonable cost.

The CMP does have a weird connection to Congress as Congress authorizes its ability to procure and operate, however it operates a 501.3.C organization without direct ties to congress.  It is most certainly a program that would never be able to be formed in the modern congress.

In its original charter, however, the CMP was not permitted to sell anything other than handguns and rifles.  In the latest National Defense Authorization Act bill however, congress changed that.  They updated the CMP’s charter to allow for the purchase and sale of military shotguns for the first time.  Shotguns have had a long line of military usage in the United States.

This will give many collectors a rare opportunity to purchase collectable firearms that are either scarce or not available on the civilian market.  There is, as always with government, some restrictions on what type of shotguns the CMP may sell. 

Per Chris Eger over Guns.com “The one-time transfer would cover guns that are "surplus to the requirements" of the respective service – including being surplus to military history and museum use. Further, they can't be a shotgun that "is a modern ancillary addition to a service rifle" such as a "Masterkey"-style gun that fits under an M16/M4. Also, guns that legally meet the definition of a "short-barreled shotgun" are barred from transfer.”

While this does limit the overall types of shotguns that may come available, it still gives collectors a rare opportunity.  Who knows what types of shotguns the military still has available for this transfer but it does signal a shift in policy towards the CMP.  Hopefully this will spur more military surplus to civilian market.             

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