Christopher William Cox is an American

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

and public relations consultant. From April 2002 to June 2019 he served as chief lobbyist and principal political strategist for the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) and as the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA).NRA-ILA News Release; 1 January 2005; He oversaw 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 was also chairman of NRA's

Political Victory Fund The Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is the political action committee (PAC) of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The Fund contributes money to political campaigns of candidates endorsed by the NRA. Chairman Chris W. Cox, who has been the NR ...

(NRA-PVF), the association's political action committee. Strategic differences and management struggles within NRA leadership led to Christopher Cox leaving the organization in June 2019. On June 20, 2019, the New York Times reported that Chris Cox "had been placed on administrative leave",New York Times reported and he subsequently resigned on June 26, 2019.

Early life and education

Cox attended The Baylor School for grades 10–12, and is a graduate of

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges ...

in Memphis,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to t ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...

in History. Before his career at the NRA, Cox served as a congressional aide on legislative issues relating to hunting sports and gun ownership for U.S. Rep.

John S. Tanner John Sumners Tanner (born September 22, 1944) is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , serving from 1989 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Since his retirement, Tanner has served as the Vice C ...

-TN8, 1989–2010

NRA career

Cox joined NRA in 1995. Before becoming chief lobbyist and principal political strategist, Cox held other 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 in 2002.

Assault Weapons Ban

In 2004, Cox lobbied on behalf of the NRA-ILA to end the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Due to a

sunset provision In public policy, a sunset provision or sunset clause is a measure within a statute, regulation or other law that provides that the law shall cease to have effect after a specific date, unless further legislative action is taken to extend the law ...

, the ban was set to expire after 10 years. Cox utilized a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

campaign, which included editorial pieces and news media appearances. Senator

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

( D- CA) attached a rider to Congress's

Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) is a U.S law, passed in 2005, that protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products. Both arms manufacturers and dealers ...

. Had the

amendment An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. They ...

passed, the AWB would have been extended an additional ten years. Though President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

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.NRA-ILA :: Grassroots Activism

Lawsuit protection

In 2003 the NRA supported a bill in Congress to protect manufacturers from certain types of

lawsuits - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil acti ...

, the "

" (S.659/S.1806). The bill was also supported by the

U.S. Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urging ...

, the

National Association of Manufacturers The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...

, and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, but 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 and the bill was defeated in March 2004. A new "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (S.397) passed and was signed into law by President

in October 2005. The bill carried two amendments: requiring the purchase of a

trigger lock Gun safety is the study and practice of using, transporting, storing and disposing of firearms and ammunition, including the training of gun users, the design of weapons, and formal and informal regulation of gun production, distribution, and u ...

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".

Sandy Hook Shooting

After the Dec. 14, 2012 massacre of school children in

Newtown, Connecticut Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury metropolitan area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 cens ...

, one of the deadliest

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

s in U.S. history, Cox was reported to have recommended the NRA take a lower-key approach amid a wave of national outrage. Instead, NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre decided to go on the offensive and actively lobby for security guards in schools.Carol D. Leonnig, Beth Reinhard and Tom Hamburger
Newtown massacre divided NRA leaders, foreshadowing split to come.
Washington Post, July 3, 2019.

Resignation

Cox was placed on administrative leave June 20, 2019 and resigned from his NRA position June 26, 2019 after NRA officials accused of him participating in an extortion scheme to oust LaPierre from the organization. Cox denied the allegations.

Post-NRA career

On July 11, 2019, days after resigning from his NRA position, Cox launched a new consulting firm in Washington, DC with the aim of assisting clients with legislative, political and public image issues.

References

External links

NRA-ILA Chris W. Cox biography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Chris W. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American gun rights activists American lobbyists Rhodes College alumni National Rifle Association