According to folklore (and Wikipedia), Black Coyote was a Lakota man who refused to give up his weapon at the battle of Wounded Knee and is believed to have unintentionally triggered the massacre. Some accounts claim that when ordered to turn over his weapon, “He stood waving his rifle, declaring that he had given money for it and no one was going to take it unless he was paid.”

The Black Coyote Service Rifle Team is a group of civilian marksmanship competitors based out of Rochester, NY. The majority of the team members compete with modern and vintage service rifles. As New York State passes more and more laws restricting gun ownership, the team refuses to give up its rifles and continues competing in local, state and national level competitions.

Our goal is to continually hone our skills, compete, and promote the shooting sports while having as much fun as we can.

Since the founding of the 13 colonies, the use of firearms has been an integral part of life in the United States. From defense to putting food on the table, it's hard to view American history without the inclusion of firearms and marksmanship.

President Theodore Roosevelt recognized that if memebers of the US military were to be drawn from the general population, encouraging civilian marksmanship skills would be of benefit to the national defense. For that reason he approved legislation that founded the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP) and National Matches in 1903.

The National Defense Act of 1916 further strengthened the efforts of the NBPRP by establishing the Office for the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (ODCMP). That same year, civilians were allowed to compete in the National Matches for the first time. By 1907 Camp Perry had become home to the National Matches.

In 1996 the NBPRP and ODCMP were privatized by Congress into a 501(c)(3) organization. This organization quickly became known as the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) that we know today.

If you ever see the meme of the United States broken down by types of gun owners, and see a section over Ohio titled "CMP People", the Civilian Marksmanship Program is what the meme is referring to.