Chris W. Cox has been the chief
lobbyist for the United States
National Rifle Association
(NRA) since being appointed in 2002. He
serves as the executive director of the NRA's Institute for
Legislative Action, more commonly known as the NRA-ILA.
He oversees eight divisions within the NRA-ILA, including Federal
Affairs; State & Local Government Affairs; Public Affairs;
Grassroots; Finance; Research; Conservation; Wildlife & Natural
Resources; and Office of Legislative Counsel. Cox is also chairman
of NRA’s Political Victory Fund, the association's
Political action committee.
Early life and education
According to his NRA-ILA biography, Cox enjoyed
hunting and
fishing with his
father and three brothers in west Tennessee.
He is a graduate of
Rhodes
College
in Memphis
, Tennessee
, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in history and minored in business
administration.
NRA career
Before his current appointments, Cox held senior positions within
the NRA-ILA. He was promoted to deputy director of the ILA Federal
Affairs Division shortly before being named Executive Director of
the NRA-ILA.
Assault Weapons Ban
See also:
Federal Assault
Weapons BanIn 2004, Cox lobbied on behalf of the NRA-ILA to end
the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Due to a
sunset provision, the ban was set to expire
after 10 years. Cox utilized a
grassroots
campaign, which included editorial pieces and news media
appearances.
Senator Dianne
Feinstein (D-CA
) attached a
rider to Congress's Protection of Lawful
Commerce in Arms Act. Had the
amendment passed, the AWB would have been extended
an additional ten years. Though President
George W. Bush
had agreed to sign the
ban into law if the
amendment passed, Cox and the NRA-ILA lobbyists were successful,
and the bill was voted down 8-90. The ban expired on
September 13,
2004.
2004 elections
According to his NRA-ILA biography, Cox was successful in lobbying
for NRA-supported candidates in the 2004 elections. 95% of the
NRA-PVF endorsed federal candidates and 86% of the endorsed state
candidates were elected. Cox was at the forefront of a media
campaign to re-elect incumbent President Bush, by utilizing the
organization's grassroots technique.
Lawsuit protection
As of September 2003, the NRA's focus at the federal level is on a
bill to protect manufacturers from certain types of
lawsuits. The
"Protection of Lawful
Commerce in Arms Act" (S.659/S.1806) is also supported by the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the
National Association of
Manufacturers, and the National Association of
Wholesaler-Distributors, and opposed by many gun-control groups.
The Senate amended the bill to extend the
assault weapons ban and close the
so-called
"gun-show loophole" , whereupon the
NRA withdrew its support; the bill was defeated on
March 2,
2004.
A new "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (S.397) passed
the Senate (65–31) in late July 2005, passed the House (283–144) on
October 20, and was signed by President
George W. Bush
on
October 26,
2005.
The bill carried two amendments: requiring the purchase of a
trigger lock with any handgun purchase;
and authorizing the Department of Justice to study the penetration
characteristics of ammunition and make a determination if the
ammunition fits the category of "armor piercing". These amendments
were rejected by other pro-gun organizations that think these
concessions will lead to more restrictions and impetus for lawsuits
for those that do not use trigger locks.
Quotes
"We've all been blamed for everything from smallpox to world
hunger, so we're used to being attacked unfairly." —
March 20,
2006 BusinessWeek article on
Thank You for
Smoking.
See also
Gun politics
References
- NRA-ILA News Release; 1 January 2005;
http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=5476
- NRA-ILA Political Victory Fund;
http://www.nrapvf.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx
- NRA-ILA News Release; 1 January 2005;
http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=5476
- Editorial; San Francisco Chronicle; 2004;
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/07/EDGIV5EQ6B1.DTL
- NRA endorsement of President Bush; 2004;
http://www.nrapvf.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=4614
- NRA-ILA :: Grassroots Activism
- "Current Campaigns"; Wikipedia entry;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#Current_campaigns
- It's Hard Out Here For A Lobbyist
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