FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I would like to designate the CMP as the recipient of my United Way contribution, but don’t see you listed. How do we designate the CMP for the donation?

In step 3 of the donation form, in the place for the Agency name – write “Civilian Marksmanship Program”. Address is: 1401 Commerce Blvd., Anniston, AL 36207.

 

When will the M-14’s be available from the CMP?

Although one never knows what may happen in the future, we doubt that M-14’s will ever be available for purchase from the CMP.

 

I belong to a Veterans’ organization, does that count as an affiliated club?

Yes, starting 2005 Congressionally chartered veterans’ organizations (VFW, American Legion, etc.) are recognized as CMP special affiliates. Any member of these organizations, who wishes to purchase military surplus items from the CMP and fulfills all other requirements, may purchase those items by submitting proof of membership.

 

How do I find out about affiliated clubs in my area?

Log on to www.odcmp.com and look under the link marked CLUB INFO. Find the link on the club info page that lists all of our affiliated clubs. If you are unable to find a club in your immediate area, please try your state association or the Garand Collectors Association (GCA) www.thegca.org , a special affiliate with the CMP.

 

I want to get involved in CMP competitions, where can I get information on opportunities in my area?

Locate affiliated clubs or organizations in your area and learn what CMP related competitions or events they sponsor.

 

I heard the CMP gives out free ammo to juniors, how do I get in that program?

The free ammo program was discontinued years ago when the surplus smallbore ammo was exhausted.

 

The CMP is a non-profit organization, what does it do with the proceeds from rifle sales?

All revenue not needed to fund current operations is deposited into a permanent endowment to fund future programs and operations once all rifles have been sold.

 

Why has the CMP gone to 100% NICS checks?

For the customer it further simplifies the purchase application process and reduces the amount of paper the customer has to copy and send to CMP.
For the CMP it standardizes the process and allows us to automate the background check function. We no longer have to check each application against the ATF list to see if whatever the customer provided is acceptable (or grand fathered) or not acceptable.
We do not have to concern ourselves that the copy of the FFL, C&R or CCW (often blurred and hard to read) may be forged or completely bogus. Remember that even a picture ID has little value when the person sending it in is not standing in front of us.

 

I am applying for a surplus M1 Garand, and on the application form there is a space for my ID number. I do not yet, have such a number, so I ask you, is it a requirement, and if it is, how do I get such a number?

This is something new. When you place your first order, our software system will assign you a number that will remain yours for the life of the CMP. It will be annotated about midway down the invoice you will receive with your next rifle, ammunition or memorabilia order. It will help to speed up future orders. Just leave the space blank on the application until you are assigned one.

 

Will .45s be available through the CMP?

No.

 

Several of us applied at the same time. All the others have received their rifles weeks ago. Why haven’t I received mine?

If all the applications were the same, you should have received your rifle along with the others. If you haven’t, email custserve@odcmp.com for an answer to your question.
If all applications were not the same then the time to process and ship will vary. Email for the latest status of your order.

 

FEDEX delivered the rifle today and it was damaged. What should I do?

If there is any damage to the packaging and the FEDEX driver is still there, ask him/her to fill out claim/damage form. If they’ve already left before you saw the damage, call 1-800-GO-FEDEX and report the damage. Be sure to have the FEDEX tracking number from the shipping label handy. Once you’ve filed the claim/damage report please call us at 256-835-8455 and report the damage. We will determine whether the rifle should be returned to us or not and whether to repair or exchange the rifle.
If there is no obvious damage to the package, but there is damage to the rifle, call us at (256) 835-8455 and we will make arrangements as appropriate. Because of the age and condition of the wood (stocks), we occasionally experience cracked stocks during shipment (without any indication of damage to the cartons). Please call us and we will replace the damaged wood.

 

FEDEX delivers while I’m at work. Can you have them just leave the package?

Sorry, we won’t do that. We require that the driver obtain an adult signature for each package. If no is at home, FEDEX will leave a notice and a number for you to call to arrange delivery or pickup at their terminal. If FEDEX fails to deliver after three attempts, they will either call us for instructions or return the package to Anniston.

 

What comes with the M1 Garand rifle?

The rifle comes with a Safety manual, Certificate of Authenticity suitable for framing, and a clip.

 

I just received the rifle and it won’t function correctly. What do I do?

If your rifle won’t function correctly, send an email to custserve@odcmp.com describing the problem and someone will contact you. If you do not have email capability call (256) 835-8455 for assistance.

 

I mailed in an order, why can’t I see my order on eStore?

Your order, initially, is delivered to our Customer Service Department. Here it is opened, verified, an email confirmation sent to you. The order is then sent to our Sales Office for processing. Once your order is entered into the system by our sales office, you will be able to view it’s progress on eStore. This usually happens within a 1-4 week time period (but there may be times where it can take much longer). You will also receive an email once your order begins to process.

 

Do I need to get preapproved or send paperwork in advance to purchase rifles from the CMP?

CMP has four requirements for purchase: age over 18, US citizenship, firearms related activity, and membership in a CMP affiliated organization. You can go to our website, HYPERLINK "http://www.thecmp.org" www.thecmp.org to the eligibility requirements section to see what is acceptable as proof of each requirement.

Although you can send all of this in advance of a mail order, we recommend that you wait and attach everything to the first order that you mail to us. In the case of a rifle order where you have to send all the paperwork anyway then providing all the qualifying documentation in advance only saves a couple of minutes in processing time once we actually do get your order.
You can fax or email documentation to us ahead of time if you want to purchase items through our eStore or if you want to get an account set up in anticipation of making a purchase at one of our stores.

When mailing in eligibility documentation, are photocopies acceptable or must it be originals?
Please send only photocopies (Xerox), DO NOT SEND any originals.

 

Must all the eligibility requirements be met in order to purchase ammunition, tools, books, etc?

To purchase commercial items such as tools, books, memorabilia, no eligibility requirements need to be met. To purchase commercial ammunition the requirement of membership in a CMP affiliated organization/association must be met. To purchase surplus ammunition the requirement of citizenship and membership in a CMP affiliated organization/association must be met.

 

Will the CMP research a serial number to see if it had ever been sold by the DCM or CMP?

We will perform the research. Research often involves going through boxes of old records. Our files are only complete from 1996 to the present. We do have some earlier files, but know they are incomplete. We require a letter request with payment and we will respond by letter stating if we found anything, and if so – when we sold it and what model it was we actually sold. We will not identify original purchaser. Allow 2-3 weeks per serial number.
We regret not being able to perform this service for free. We receive dozens of requests each week and it can take up to one hour just to find that we do not have any record of a serial number being researched. Charge is $25.00 per serial number, prepaid, whether we find anything or not.

If interested, send letter to CMP, ATTN: Serial Number Research, 1401 Commerce Blvd., Anniston, AL 36207.

 

If you receive a "Delay" from the FBI, why do you not process the order after three days, as authorized by law?

First- we are not your regular gun dealer. The law that established the CMP exempted us from FFL requirements. we are not required to keep a 'book' or to ship only to another FFL. The law also specifies that we must have a completed 'successful' background check conducted for each sale. So - we cannot ship a rifle until we get a 'proceed' from the FBI. The three days after a 'delay' does not apply to us as it does to FFL licensed dealers. We can also ship direct to your home, where dealers cannot.

Second - the NICS check submission to the FBI provides no information about the firearm - no model, no serial number, nothing. It only provides the information about the individual.

Third - we input the information directly into the FBI ENICS system via computer (not by telephone. As soon as we do, the name shows up on the screen in a list with other names that we have input and not yet received a response. The initial status reads 'new'. Every hour or so we check the list and some status will have changed to either 'proceed', 'deny' or 'delay'. If we get the 'proceed', we print the information and attach it to the order and put the order in the tray (for the date order was received) for processing. If response was a 'deny', we cancel the order and prepare a letter and send it to the customer with information for the customer to appeal the ruling directly to the FBI.

If we get a 'delay', we do nothing but keep checking the status until it changes. After 3-4 days, if the FBI does not give us a 'proceed' or 'delay', the NICS system changes the status to 'open'. This is not something we do - it is the FBI NICS system. We track the status several times each day for up to 30 days. If after 30 days the NICS request still shows as open - we cancel the order and notify the customer to submit an appeal.

The reason for waiting 30 days is that we have found after all these years that most 'delays' and 'open' do change to 'proceed or 'deny' within that time. This is an arbitrary number of days. we can make it 29 or 28 or 15 or even 3. We just found that '30' works best in not jerking the customer or the FBI around. It does no good to 'run it again' daily - the status won't change. The FBI does not give us any reasons why someone is on delay or denied. This is between the individual and the FBI.

 

Regarding the marksmanship/firearms safety requirement, I was wondering if an expired C&R license will quality?

An expired C&R does satisfy the “marksmanship or other firearms related activity” requirement.

 

I received an email containing my tracking number(s), but when I try to track the shipment with FedEx there is no record of the tracking number(s). Where is my shipment?

FedEx picks up our shipments in the early part of the afternoon. In order to ship out as many packages as we can to our customers we will pre-date shipments, to be picked up the next work day (Friday afternoon and Saturday pre-dated packages will not be picked up until Monday afternoon). If your package does not track during the week, please allow 24 hours and track again. If a weekend is involved, please track again on Monday evening. If the package still does not show tracking information, then please contact custserve@odcmp.com.

 

If I am a member of the NRA may I purchase firearms and ammunition from your facilities?

Membership in the NRA, at the national level, does not satisfy our requirements that customers be members of a CMP affiliated club or organization. The NRA at the national level is not an affiliate. Most of the NRA state associations have affiliated with the CMP and do satisfy the requiremen

 

I am a member of the honor guard for my police department. I am looking to get 10 M1 Garands to use in our unit. I was told I can them issued to my unit for free from the army, is this true? Do you know who I need to talk to about this?

The CMP does not issue or loan rifles to the law enforcement, veterans organizations, or other honor guards. That support is provided by the Depart of the Army Ceremonial Rifle Program. Please see http://www.tacom.army.mil/ceremonial_rifles/index.htm.

 

What payment options are available?

CMP accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, personal checks, money orders and bank (cashier) checks. CMP does accept debit cards, but if using a debit card please provide the CVV2 # from the back of the debit card.

 

On the CMP order form (page 3A) I see a block for sales tax, does CMP collect sales tax from all 50 states?

The only states that must add sales tax to their order are customers from the state of Ohio and the state of Alabama.

 

When visiting either the North or South store, will I be charged sales tax if I am from another state and taking the purchase with me?

Yes, you will be charged the applicable sales tax for the store you are visiting.

 

Why is the S&H charge higher for ammunition shipping to Alaska or Hawaii?

Ammunition shipping to either Alaska or Hawaii cannot be shipped FedEx ground, it must be shipped FedEx air and the air rates are higher due to the weight.

 

What is the S&H charge for rifles shipping to Alaska or Hawaii?

$22.95, all the rifles ship FedEx air, so there is no difference in the S&H charge.