Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

Monday, February 3, 2025

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

One day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, he held a Make America Great Again rally in Washington, D.C., where he spoke to more than 20,000 energized supporters — not to mention millions more who watched the event's broadcast — taking time to thank his family, his team, his cabinet nominees, and others who helped him win the election last November.  He notably included the pro-Second Amendment community, with a specific mention that "NRA worked really hard" to get him back into the White House.

It was, as we understood from President Trumps first term, effort well spent. And it did not take long to begin seeing the rewards of it.

Fewer than 10 days into President Trumps already productive and energetic second term, great news emerged from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The highly popular sales program for surplus U.S. Army M1911/M1911A1 .45 caliber pistols has resumed, after having been suspended during the Biden-Harris administration. In other welcomed developments, the sales process has been streamlined, and shipping and handling (a $25 value) will be free.

We have been reporting on the CMPs sales of these historic handguns since November of 2015, when then President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 into law. That years NDAA contained an amendment that authorized the Secretary of Defense to transfer to the CMP up to 10,000 surplus caliber .45 M1911/M1911A1 pistols per year, for sale to the public. It also authorized a one-year pilot program to initiate the transfers and report on the results.

Unsurprisingly, however, the anti-gun Obama-Biden administration did not act on this authority, claiming it was discretionary. Their arguments against launching the program, some based on outright falsehoods, were predictably amplified by the anti-gun media.

NRA-ILA continued to lobby for the transfers, until President Trump on Dec. 12, 2017, signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for 2018. Included in that law was a provision that required the military surplus 1911 pistols to be made available for sale to the public.

Those sales commenced in 2018, with annual rounds of 10,000 pistols. The CMP would wait until it had received 10,000 orders, then assign customers a randomly generated number (RGN). Customers would then be contacted in sequence with the grading and pricing options that were available at the time. The CMP developed special rules for these sales, with safeguards that exceeded the already strict processes that applied to their rifle and ammunition sales. Each purchaser was limited to one pistol per calendar year and two pistols per lifetime.

Sales were halted in April 2024, during the Biden-Harris Administration, as the fourth round was underway. The official explanation was that the results of an audit required further investigation.

On Jan. 29, however, it was announced the sales would resume. Initially, priority will be given to those who had placed Round Four orders, for whom CMP will honor the originally quoted prices. The new sales will then occur in an open, first-come, first-served format, with no further rounds or RGNs. While the lifetime limit of two pistols per customer remains in effect, both pistols may now be acquired in one order.

As before, final acquisition of the pistols will have to occur in a face-to-face transaction with a federal firearm licensee (FFL) in the purchasers state of residence, after pre-approval of the application to purchase by the CMP. All normal formalities associated with an FFL retail transaction will apply to these transfers.

Complete eligibility details and sales procedures are available at the CMPs website.

CMP sales are designed to facilitate competency and safety with firearms among American citizens and to preserve enduring and tangible mementos of the nations military history. They are also a good deal for the U.S. taxpayer, relieving the Army of the expense (which in 2015 was already some $200,000 per year) of storing and safeguarding armaments that are surplus to its requirements and no longer in use.

NRA-ILA commends the resumption of the M1911/M1911A1 sales. No doubt some will find an added patriotic incentive to purchase these already historic military arms during the historic second term of President Donald J. Trump.

TRENDING NOW
Due Process: The Backbone of Legal Legitimacy

News  

Monday, September 8, 2025

Due Process: The Backbone of Legal Legitimacy

Close observers of the gun debate often see references to due process.

Gun Control “Journalist” Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

News  

Monday, September 8, 2025

Gun Control “Journalist” Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Pure gun control. As in disarmament and banning of firearms. It’s rare that anti-gunners get straight to the exact point that we have been warning of for decades. 

Third Circuit Strikes Some New Jersey Carry Restrictions in NRA Case

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Third Circuit Strikes Some New Jersey Carry Restrictions in NRA Case

Yesterday, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Siegel v. Platkin, striking some of the carry restrictions New Jersey enacted in response to the NRA’s landmark Supreme Court victory, New York State Rifle & ...

The Desperate Deflection to the “Red State Murder Problem”

News  

Monday, September 8, 2025

The Desperate Deflection to the “Red State Murder Problem”

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) may have thought he had scored against President Donald Trump in a recent war of words over rampant crime and the deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-led cities

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Challenge to Washington’s Magazine Ban

Monday, September 8, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Challenge to Washington’s Magazine Ban

Today, the National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in a case challenging Washington State’s ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

California: Legislature Adjourns with Anti-Gun Bills Headed to the Governor's Desk

Monday, September 15, 2025

California: Legislature Adjourns with Anti-Gun Bills Headed to the Governor's Desk

On Friday the California State Legislature adjourned the 2025 legislative session in typical California fashion, advancing anti-gun legislation to Governor Newsom's desk. Contact Governor Newsome today and urge his veto of AB 1078, AB 1127, AB ...

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Earlier this month, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 8 into law. This legislation imposes new mandatory firearm storage requirements on law-abiding gun owners.  

Minnesota: Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group Meeting on Monday

Friday, September 12, 2025

Minnesota: Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group Meeting on Monday

On Monday, September 15th, the Minnesota Senate will hold a special working group on "gun violence prevention."

New York Law Imperils U.S. Olympic Target Shooting, Favors China’s Dominance

News  

Monday, September 15, 2025

New York Law Imperils U.S. Olympic Target Shooting, Favors China’s Dominance

As U.S. shooting sports athletes prepare for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, New York law is burdening target shooters in the Empire State.

Armed Citizens: Not Just an American Concept

News  

Monday, September 15, 2025

Armed Citizens: Not Just an American Concept

We frequently post stories about law-abiding citizens who, by exercising their rights protected under the Second Amendment, bring an end to violent criminal assaults.  

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.