Cox, Chris w n r a
<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading"><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chris W. Cox (not SEC OC)</font></span></h1><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CONDUIT TO GOP</font></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/07/the-nra-is-in-total-meltdown-and-making-folks-nervous-about-trumps-2020-campaign-report/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/07/the-nra-is-in-total-meltdown-and-making-folks-nervous-about-trumps-2020-campaign-report/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">henderson</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NRA ‘is in total meltdown’ — and making ‘folks nervous’ about Trump’s 2020 campaign: report</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Michael Vadon</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">written by Alex Henderson<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>July 3, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It isn’t hard to figure out why President Donald Trump has been claiming that Democrats are hell-bent on destroying the 2nd Amendment: he realizes that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the top supporters of the Republican Party. But the NRA’s recent problems have been well-documented, and a Politico report published on July 3 stresses that turmoil and instability within the NRA are a major worry for Trump’s 2020 campaign.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In Politico, journalist Alex Isenstadt explains that the NRA “is in total meltdown” thanks to “everything from a failed coup attempt to the departure of its longtime political architect to embarrassing tales of self-dealing by top leaders.” And GOP leaders, according to Isenstadt, fear that if the NRA is “profoundly diminished heading into the election,” the GOP will be facing “a gaping hole in its political machinery.”</b></font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Gregg Keller, former executive director of the American Conservative Union, explained to Politico why the NRA’s problems “have folks nervous” in the Republican Party — asserting, “<b>No organization has been more important to conservative voter education and engagement than the NRA. </b>We all hope they’re able to mount the kind of effort in the 2020 cycle they have in the past. But in case they can’t, given their current situation, I hope they’re being forthright about that within the movement so others can pick up the slack.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republican strategist Chris LaCivita told Politico that the “infighting and accusations” troubling the NRA will “have an impact in the NRA’s ability to raise money, which would be used in elections to turn out its membership.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Isenstadt notes that following the recent resignation of Chris Cox (who had been in charge of NRA lobbying since 2002), it remains to be seen “who will oversee the NRA’s 2020 strategy.”<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Steven Law, who heads the Senate Leadership Fund (a right-wing political action committee with close ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), described Cox as “the guy everybody dealt with” in the GOP.</span></b></font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@realDonaldTrump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> People are fleeing New York like never before. If they own a business, they are twice as likely to flee. And if they are a victim of harassment by the A.G. of the state, like what they are doing to our great NRA, which I think will move quickly to Texas, where they are loved.....</font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If the NRA’s problems harm Republican fundraising in 2020, the burning question is: who would fill the void? And Isenstadt points out that other possible worries for the Trump campaign include less spending by the Chamber of Commerce and a recent announcement by the Koch Brothers-affiliated Americans for Prosperity that it is open to the possibility of supporting centrist Democratic candidates in some cases.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Former Republican Rep. David McIntosh, now president of the right-wing Club for Growth, expressed concerns over Americans for Prosperity’s announcement of possible support for some Democrats.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Interviewed by Politico, McIntosh said of the GOP, “Right now, the party is functioning. But if you see another collapse or if we lose the White House, I think you’re going to see Republicans frankly in a world of hurt without a major funding group like that.”</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/nra-nratv-ackerman-mcqueen.html"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/nra-nratv-ackerman-mcqueen.html</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV, and Its No. 2 Official Resigns</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ImageThe N.R.A. has ceased production of live content on NRATV because of concern over its broadcasting arm’s financial costs and right-wing talking points.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The N.R.A. has ceased production of live content on NRATV because of concern over its broadcasting arm’s financial costs and right-wing talking points.CreditCreditPete Marovich for The New York Times</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Danny Hakim</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">June 25, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Moving to clean house amid an organizational crisis, the National Rifle Association cut ties with its second-in-command, Christopher W. Cox; severed its relationship with Ackerman McQueen, its estranged advertising firm; and shut down live production at its online media arm, NRATV.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The steps took place within a brief span on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The resignation of Mr. Cox, the gun group’s top lobbyist and the architect of its legislative strategy, was communicated to the N.R.A.’s board and employees on Wednesday. The news comes days after a court filing by the N.R.A. implicated him in a failed plot to oust Wayne LaPierre, the organization’s chief executive, an allegation Mr. Cox has disputed. Last week, The New York Times reported that the N.R.A. had suspended Mr. Cox.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. LaPierre, in a message sent Wednesday to employees and board members, said he had accepted Mr. Cox’s resignation and wanted “to thank Chris for his service to the N.R.A. and for his efforts to advocate for the Second Amendment.” He noted that Mr. Cox had been<b> “placed on administrative leave” pending an investigation </b>into the claims against him, and said, “Naturally, that pursuit will continue in the interest of the N.R.A. and our members.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The development is the latest in an already tumultuous year for the N.R.A. The gun group has struggled to right its finances; faced investigations in Congress and by the New York attorney general; and witnessed a leadership struggle that pitted Oliver North, until recently the N.R.A.’s president, against Mr. LaPierre.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Cox could not be immediately reached for comment. In a statement last week, he said that “the allegations against me are offensive and patently false. For over 24 years I have been a loyal and effective leader in this organization. My efforts have always been focused on serving the members of the National Rifle Association, and I will continue to focus all of my energy on carrying out our core mission of defending the Second Amendment.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The series of moves leaves the N.R.A., a crucial ally of President Trump, in flux, particularly in the leadership of its legislative agenda<b>. On Twitter in April, Mr. Trump urged the N.R.A. to “stop the internal fighting, & get back to GREATNESS — FAST!</b>” Mr. LaPierre told the board and employees he would soon name an interim leader for the organization’s lobbying arm.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By ending production at NRATV, the N.R.A. is also ceasing its relationship with a number of high-profile representatives of the organization, since its on-air personalities — Ackerman employees including Dana Loesch — will no longer be the public faces of the N.R.A. It remained unclear whether the N.R.A. would try to hire some of those employees, but there was no indication it was negotiating to do so.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The move comes amid a flurry of lawsuits between the N.R.A. and Ackerman, and increasing acrimony that surfaced after two prominent N.R.A. board members first criticized NRATV in an article in The Times in March. The separation had become inevitable: The two sides said last month that they were ending their partnership of more than three decades.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment,” Mr. LaPierre wrote in a message to members on Wednesday. “So, after careful consideration, I am announcing that starting today, we are undergoing a significant change in our communications strategy. We are no longer airing ‘live TV’ programming.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[ImageChristopher Cox, the N.R.A.’s top lobbyist, resigned days after being implicated in a plot to oust the gun group’s leader.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Christopher Cox, the N.R.A.’s top lobbyist, resigned days after being implicated in a plot to oust the gun group’s leader.CreditSaul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a notice to Ackerman’s chief executive, Revan McQueen, sent Tuesday night, the N.R.A. said it “regrets that a longstanding, formerly productive relationship comes to an end in this fashion.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ackerman, in its own statement, said it was “not surprised that the N.R.A. is unwilling to honor its agreement to end our contract and our longstanding relationship in an orderly and amicable manner.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When given the opportunity to do the right thing, the N.R.A. once again has taken action that we believe is intended to harm our company even at the expense of the N.R.A. itself,” Ackerman added. It said it would “continue to fight against the N.R.A.’s repeated violations of its agreement with our company with every legal remedy available to us.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A legal filing last week by Ackerman, which is based in Oklahoma City, underscored the dire risk to its business, which derived 41 percent of its gross revenue from the N.R.A. last year. The company accused the N.R.A. of failing to pay $1.6 million in invoices and to post a $3 million letter of credit that it said it was due, moves that Ackerman said would force it to “terminate or put on unpaid leave” roughly 40 percent of its work force within days, and shutter Mercury Group, its Northern Virginia subsidiary.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On Wednesday, a judge in Virginia denied a motion by Ackerman to immediately force the N.R.A. to make those payments.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">N.R.A. officials had grown leery of the cost of creating so much live content for NRATV, which was started in 2016, and wondered whether the return on its investment was worth the effort. The site’s web traffic was minuscule, with 49,000 unique visitors in January, according to a report provided by Comscore.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some N.R.A. board members and officials were also unnerved by the breadth of the channel’s content, which strayed far beyond gun rights and encompassed several right-wing talking points, including criticism of immigration and broadsides against the F.B.I. A show hosted by Ms. Loesch that put Ku Klux Klan hoods on talking trains from the popular children’s program “Thomas & Friends” drew outrage from some within the organization.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But the dispute between the N.R.A. and Ackerman goes deeper than NRATV. It has its origins in threats last summer by Letitia James, now the New York attorney general, to investigate the N.R.A.’s tax-exempt status. The N.R.A. began an audit of its contractors, and has said that Ackerman, which it paid roughly $40 million a year, refused to comply. Ackerman has disputed that allegation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The advertising firm has assailed the role of the N.R.A.’s outside lawyer, William A. Brewer III, over the size of his legal fees, and has seen him as its chief antagonist. The contention has a bitter family twist because <b>Mr. Brewer is the brother-in-law of Mr. McQueen, Ackerman’s chief executive.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The schism between the organizations has been shocking. They had a closely intertwined partnership going back to the “I’m the N.R.A.” campaign in the 1980s, and Ackerman came to be known as the voice of the N.R.A.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But by Tuesday night, splitting up was seen as inevitable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This is just an affirmation of what we’ve known is going to happen,” Joel Friedman, an N.R.A. board member, said in an interview.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV as Its No. 2 Official Resigns.</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/6/26/18760446/nra-chris-cox-wayne-lapierre-ackerman-mcqueen-dana-loesch" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/6/26/18760446/nra-chris-cox-wayne-lapierre-ackerman-mcqueen-dana-loesch</a></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">619 implosion?</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">chic sun times</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="c-entry-content piano-paywall-hide" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; padding: 0px; position: relative; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><p id="vpQTHE" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">Infighting at the National Rifle Association exploded Wednesday, when the powerful association severed ties with its longtime public relations firm, suspended operations of its fiery online TV station and lost its top lobbyist.</p><p id="kkbWqR" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">The latest turmoil emerged just a year before the critical 2020 presidential elections when the NRA’s ability to influence the outcome could decide the fate of gun rights.</p><p id="YsrCNb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><b>Lobbyist Chris Cox, long viewed as the likely successor to longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre, was placed on administrative leave about a week ago by the NRA, which claimed he was part of a failed attempt to extort LaPierre and push him out.</b></p><p id="oYBEIJ" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It also came within hours of the association officially severing ties with Ackerman McQueen, the Oklahoma-based public relations firm that has shaped some of the NRA’s most memorable messages in the past decades. That includes severing its relationship with spokesperson Dana Loesch, who works for Ackerman McQueen.</span></p><p id="IEfucC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><b>Cox had been the executive director of the NRA’s lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, since 2002.</b> He was credited with leading efforts to allow a decadelong ban on “assault weapons” to expire in 2004, an achievement that allowed the gun industry to resume selling what the industry calls “modern sporting rifles” and critics claim are used too often to exact mass carnage.</p><p id="mdI2Ro" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">His resignation was confirmed by NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. No other comment was immediately made about his departure.</p><p id="ULbTEo" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">Cox did not immediately return a message seeking comment. However, when he was suspended, Cox said in a statement obtained by The New York Times that allegations he had been part of a group seeking LaPierre’s ouster were “offensive and patently false.”</p><p id="137ByC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">“For 24 years I have been a loyal and effective leader in this organization,” he said.</p><p id="vkKZgC" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">Cox played his usual prominent role at the NRA’s annual meeting in Indianapolis in April, and there was little public evidence that he and LaPierre or the NRA’s board of directors were at odds. Infighting spilled out during what is normally a pep rally of sorts among gun-rights enthusiasts when Oliver North, then the NRA president, threatened to expose questionable personal and travel expenses unless LaPierre stepped down. Instead, LaPierre turned the tables on North and accused him of trying to extort him into submission.</p><aside id="CTzOTh" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="c-read-more" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; padding: 8px 0px; border-width: 1px 0px; border-color: rgb(223, 223, 223); border-style: solid;"><p class="c-read-more__intro" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: benton-sans, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">RELATED</p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: benton-sans, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 0.6rem; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/4/27/18621145/nra-president-ousted-following-leadership-dispute" style="text-decoration: inherit; color: rgb(211, 36, 44); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.1s ease 0s, background-color 0.1s ease 0s, fill 0.1s ease 0s; border-bottom: 0px;">NRA president ousted following leadership dispute</a></h4></div></aside><p id="1vvtmI" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">Joel Friedman, a longtime NRA board member, told The Associated Press his first reaction when he heard that Cox was stepping down was surprise. He said he saw no indications during the annual meeting that Cox was in a dispute with LaPierre.</p><p id="XPAjHS" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">LaPierre announced Cox’s resignation in an email sent Wednesday to staff and NRA board members that was obtained by the AP. The letter also said an investigation will continue into allegations that North sought to extort LaPierre and that the storied Marine veteran was aided by Cox, a claim first laid out in a lawsuit filed June 19.</p><p id="Bh4BBl" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">In the past few months, the NRA has filed several lawsuits against Ackerman McQueen, accusing it of refusing to document its billings and of seeking to undermine the association. <b>Ackerman McQueen has countersued, claiming the NRA is trying to renege on its financial obligations and smear the public relations firm.</b></p><p id="WJ6P1s" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">Last year, NRA began asking all of its vendors for detailed documentation about its billings after New York authorities began threatening to investigate the NRA’s nonprofit status. The NRA was founded shortly after the Civil War and is chartered in New York, giving that state broad authority to investigate its operations.</p><p id="4Px8Fo" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">During its two decades by the NRA’s side, Ackerman McQueen was responsible for crafting the association’s aggressive messaging, including the now-famous “From my cold dead hands” line uttered by actor Charlton Heston in 2000 as he vowed to resist any effort to take away his guns. The line became a rallying cry for gun owners around the country.</p><p id="u77vj3" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><b>Ackerman McQueen also created and operated NRATV. </b>In a statement posted Wednesday on the NRA website, LaPierre said it would no longer be airing live programming and would be evaluating the station’s future. It wasn’t clear what would happen to its prominent hosts but there appeared to be no signs those on-air personalities, who are employees of Ackerman McQueen, would find spots at the NRA.</p><p id="dGYEHw" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">In a lawsuit, the NRA said some of its members had questioned NRATV’s weighing in on “topics far afield of the Second Amendment.”</p><p id="43Qe0a" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">In a statement Wednesday, Ackerman McQueen accused the NRA of trying to avoid its financial obligations by shuttering NRATV and implied its financial woes are partly the result of now paying for high-priced lawyers.</p><p id="elRqdb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;">“When given the opportunity to do the right thing, the NRA once again has taken action that we believe is intended to harm our company even at the expense of the NRA itself,” the company said.</p><p id="7poGJx" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“For Ackerman McQueen, it is time to move on to a new chapter without the chaos that has enveloped the NRA</span>,” the statement continued. “Ackerman McQueen will continue to fight against the NRA’s repeated violations of its agreement with our company with every legal remedy available to us, but we will always be proud of the work that we completed during our 38-year relationship on behalf of the individual citizens that are the NRA.”</p></div><div class="piano-after-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: benton-sans, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><div class="u-hidden-text" id="formatter-datter" data-cid="site/entry_formatter-1561643127_4346_32370" data-cdata="{" svg_hr_illustration="svg_hr_illustration" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; height: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 0px;"><section class="c-nextclick" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="c-related-list" data-cid="site/related_list-1561643127_4064_32371" data-cdata="{}" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 2.4em; padding: 0px;" /></section></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div></div></span></div><div>
<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font><h2><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2019/04/26/nra-annual-meeting-nra-top-lobbyist-chris-cox-says-real-america-going-vote-rep-alexandria-ocasio/223571">NRA
annual meeting, NRA top lobbyist Chris Cox says “the real America” is
going to vote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez out of office</a></font></h2></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font><span dir="auto" /></div><div><span dir="auto"><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/nra-magazine-features-target-practice-headline-next-to-photo-of-nancy-pelosi-and-victims-of-gun-violence/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/nra-magazine-features-target-practice-headline-next-to-photo-of-nancy-pelosi-and-victims-of-gun-violence/</a></font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> NRA is facing widespread condemnation after its latest magazine issue hit mailboxes, with a feature article titled “Target Practice” next to a large glossy color photo of Nancy Pelosi with House Democrats standing behind her. As if that weren’t bad enough, the photo was taken when Speaker Pelosi and her Democratic co-sponsors were announcing the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. Standing behind Pelosi in the photo is Rep. Lucy McBath, whose 17-year-old son, Jordan, was gunned down at a Jacksonville gas station when 45-year-old Michael David Dunn pulled up next to the car Jordan was in with his friends and fired on the teens because he felt their music was too loud; and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 during an assassination attempt by Jared Lee Loughner, whose murder spree that day killed six and wounded 18 others.</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The article was written by Chris Cox, the chief lobbyist of the NRA. He described Nancy Pelosi as the <a title="" href="https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ar_201903/index.php#/20" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">“arch anti-gunner.”</a> See if you can pick up on the problem with how he describes other participants at the press conference.</font></p><div class="p5_18" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.7; overflow: hidden; background: rgb(245, 245, 245); border: none !important;"><p style="margin: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.7;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Giffords was in attendance as Pelosi and Thompson introduced H.R. 8, along with other fixtures of the anti-gun cause, including Josh Horowitz, David Hogg, Lucy McBath and Shannon Watts.</font></p><div class="p6_18" style="font-style: italic; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two of those “anti-gun” fixtures had their lives turned upside down by gun violence.</font></p><div class="p7_18" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jennifer Bendery of the<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </em>Huffington Post was the <a title="" href="https://twitter.com/jbendery/status/1099089334521737219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1099089334521737219&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fnra-slammed-apos-target-practice-143234321.html" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">first to share the image on Twitter</a>, and the reaction was swift. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said it seemed clear the NRA <a title="" href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1099434828636794880" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">“knew what they were doing”</a> with this outrageous pairing. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jamie, was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, called it an “incitement of violence.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...[pix]</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div></div></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><p style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; line-height: 1.5; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to an <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-379527848/matt-rosendale-on-nra-support/s-uApYn" style="">audio recording</a> obtained by the <em><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-audio-reveals-potentially-illegal-coordination-between-nra-and-montana-senate-hopeful-matt-rosendale?ref=wrap" style="">Daily Beast</a></em>, Republican Montana State Auditor and U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale may have illegally coordinated with a top NRA official prior to the conservative gun rights group spending nearly $400,000 on ads attacking Rosendale’s opponent, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; line-height: 1.5; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rosendale’s campaign denies the charges and says the candidate was referring to the pro-gun group’s endorsement in the hotly contested 2018 Senate race.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; line-height: 1.5; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The <em>Daily Beast</em> reported this morning that Rosendale’s admitted on tape that he talked to <a href="https://twitter.com/chriscoxnra?lang=en" style="">Chris Cox</a>, the NRA’s top political strategist for its Institute of Legislative Action. That same group later <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C90013301&is_notice=true&candidate_id=S6MT00162" style="">spent $404,496.35 </a>on political ads opposing Tester, according to Federal Elections Commission records.</p></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Christopher William Cox</b> has been the chief <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbyist" class="mw-redirect" title="Lobbyist" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">lobbyist</a> and principal political strategist for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Legislative_Action" class="mw-redirect" title="Institute for Legislative Action" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Institute for Legislative Action</a>, the lobbying arm of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association" title="National Rifle Association" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Rifle Association</a> of America (NRA) since April 2002. He is the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA),<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup>.</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Victory_Fund" title="Political Victory Fund" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Political Victory Fund</a> (NRA-PVF),<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> the association's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">political action committee</a>.</p><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="direction: ltr; position: absolute; opacity: 0; display: none;" /><div class="toctitle" dir="ltr" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;" lang="en"><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: 0px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan" style=""><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox" style="cursor: pointer;" /></span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#Early_life_and_education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early life and education</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#NRA_career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">NRA career</span></a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#Assault_Weapons_Ban" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Assault Weapons Ban</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#2004_elections" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2004 elections</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#Lawsuit_protection" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Lawsuit protection</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#See_also" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">See also</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life_and_education">Early life and education</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_W.Cox&action=edit§ion=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early life and education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chris was born in 1971 to Dr. Charles and Betsy Cox of Jackson, Tennessee.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-:1-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup> He has three brothers: Brian Curtis Cox, John Buckley Cox, Kevin Miles Cox. According to his NRA-ILA biography, Cox enjoyed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunting" title="Hunting" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">hunting</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing" title="Fishing" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">fishing</a> with his father and three brothers in West Tennessee.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He attended <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baylor_School" title="Baylor School" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The Baylor School</a> for grades 10-12, and is a graduate of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_College" title="Rhodes College" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Rhodes College</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,Tennessee" title="Memphis, Tennessee" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Memphis</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee" title="Tennessee" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tennessee</a>, where he earned a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_degree" title="Bachelor's degree" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bachelor's degree</a> in History.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_4-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-:0-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup> 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. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S.Tanner" title="John S. Tanner" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John S. Tanner</a> [D-TN8, 1989-2010].<sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-:1-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chris and his wife Courtney have a son, Carter Buckley Cox, and a daughter, Virginia Reynolds Cox.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_4-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-:0-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup> His wife Courtney grew up in Alexandria, Va just a few blocks from the couple's current home, and works as an interior designer.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-:2-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup> According to an interview with the Washingtonian, their son was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014, and was successfully treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_5-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-:2-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="NRA_career">NRA career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_W.Cox&action=edit§ion=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: NRA career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">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.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup> Public records show Cox serving as President and Chair of the Board of the NRA Freedom Action Foundation from at least 2014 through 2016. Tax documents show his compensation during these years was $891,002 in 2014, <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/261/261277941/261277941_201412_990.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word">http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/261/261277941/261277941_201412_990.pdf</a>, $1,450,842 in 2015 <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/261/261277941/261277941_201512_990.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word">http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/261/261277941/261277941_201512_990.pdf</a>, and $997,431 in 2016 <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/261/261277941/261277941_201612_990.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word">http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/261/261277941/261277941_201612_990.pdf</a>.</p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Assault_Weapons_Ban">Assault Weapons Ban</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_W.Cox&action=edit§ion=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Assault Weapons Ban" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable" style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">See also: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Assault_Weapons_Ban" title="Federal Assault Weapons Ban" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Federal Assault Weapons Ban</a></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2004, Cox lobbied on behalf of the NRA-ILA to end the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Due to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_provision" title="Sunset provision" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">sunset provision</a>, the ban was set to expire after 10 years. Cox utilized a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots" title="Grassroots" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">grassroots</a> campaign, which included editorial pieces and news media appearances.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup> Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein" title="Dianne Feinstein" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dianne Feinstein</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party(United_States)" title="Democratic Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">D</a>-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California" title="California" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">CA</a>) attached a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider(legislation)" title="Rider (legislation)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">rider</a> to Congress's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_of_Lawful_Commerce_in_Arms_Act" title="Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act</a>. Had the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amend(motion)" title="Amend (motion)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">amendment</a> passed, the AWB would have been extended an additional ten years. Though President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a> had agreed to sign the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban(law)" title="Ban (law)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ban</a> 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.</p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="2004_elections">2004 elections</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_W.Cox&action=edit§ion=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: 2004 elections" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">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,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[8]</a></sup> by utilizing the organization's grassroots technique.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Lawsuit_protection">Lawsuit protection</span></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As of September 2003, the NRA's focus at the federal level is on a bill to protect manufacturers from certain types of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawsuits" class="mw-redirect" title="Lawsuits" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">lawsuits</a>. The "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_of_Lawful_Commerce_in_Arms_Act" title="Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act</a>" (S.659/S.1806) is also supported by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.Chamber_of_Commerce" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Chamber of Commerce" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Manufacturers" title="National Association of Manufacturers" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Association of Manufacturers</a>, and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, and opposed by many gun-control groups. The Senate amended the bill to extend the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Assault_Weapons_Ban" title="Federal Assault Weapons Ban" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">assault weapons ban</a> and close the so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gun-show_loophole&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Gun-show loophole (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">gun-show loophole</a>, whereupon the NRA withdrew its support; the bill was defeated on March 2, 2004.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a> on October 26, 2005. The bill carried two amendments: requiring the purchase of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_lock" class="mw-redirect" title="Trigger lock" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">trigger lock</a> 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.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height: 1; white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2015)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></p><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229.5%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%2300528c%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_States" title="Gun politics in the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Gun politics in the United States</a></li></ul></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">From right: <b>Kolyadin </b>and Torshin, with others including Rohrabacher, second from left Kolyadin’s Facebook</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">January 31, 2017: Torshin, Erickson,<b> Rohrabacher </b>(who has received at least $18,000 from the NRA over the past 20 years), and former Kremlin staffer Andrey Kolyadin attend a private event on Capitol Hill hosted by George O’Neill Jr., a longtime conservative activist.</span></div><div>
</div><div>February 2, 2017: Torshin and Butina accompany a delegation of more than a dozen Russian officials and academics to the National Prayer Breakfast, where Trump is the main attraction. Kolyadin posts a photo with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, commenting that he “treats Russia pretty well, by the way.” Kolyadin later brags about his “direct access to leadership,” noting, “we sat very close to each other and just smiled.” </div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Torshin was scheduled to meet with President Trump, but the meeting is canceled when a national security aide points out that Torshin reportedly is under investigation by Spanish authorities for an alleged “godfather” role in organized crime and money laundering. For his part,<b> Rohrabacher </b>tells Yahoo News that Torshin is “sort of the conservatives’ favorite Russian.” </span></div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>“Direct access to leadership” Kolyadin’s Facebook</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">February 24, 2017: “For years, the media couldn’t have cared less about Vladimir Putin or Russia,”<b> NRA leader Wayne LaPierre </b>says in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, giving early voice to a “deep state” conspiracy theory on Trump’s behalf: “But now, barely a month into Trump’s presidency, they’re ‘horrified’ and all a-fret over the ‘Russian-American equation.’ Even more alarming is that they’ve apparently found willing co-conspirators among some in the US intelligence community.” </span></div><div>
</div><div>April 28, 2017: Having recently reversed an Obama-era law making it more difficult for mentally ill people to buy guns, Trump addresses the NRA annual convention: “You came through for me,” he says, “and I am going to come through for you.” </div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>August 15, 2017: After Rohrabacher meets with WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, he claims he has evidence to share with the White House that the Russians did not hack the Democratic National Committee.</b> But White House chief of staff John Kelly rebuffs him. Rohrabacher later tells the Intercept, “What is preventing me from talking to Trump about this is the existence of a special prosecutor. Not only Kelly, but others are worried if I say one word to Trump about Russia, that it would appear to out-of-control prosecutors that that is where the collusion is.” </span></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">October to November 2017: Russian-linked trolls spread conspiracy theories following mass shootings on the Las Vegas Strip and at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. </span></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">November 14, 2017: “It appears the Russians…infiltrated the NRA,” Glenn Simpson, founder of the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, testifies to the House Intelligence Committee. “They targeted various conservative organizations, religious and otherwise, and they seem to have made a very concerted effort to get in with the NRA.” Referencing Torshin and Butina, he adds, “The most absurd [thing] about this is that, you know, Vladimir Putin is not in favor of universal gun ownership for Russians. And so it’s all a big charade, basically.” </span></div><div>
</div><div>Investigations and a politicized school massacre</div><div>January 18, 2018: McClatchy reports the FBI is investigating whether Torshin illegally funneled money to the Trump campaign through the NRA. (The FBI would “neither confirm nor deny” the investigation to Mother Jones.)</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">January 29, 2018: Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, tells NPR that the committee’s probe of the NRA-Russia angle has been stymied by the Republican majority. </span></div><div>
</div><div>“I am specifically troubled by the possibility that Russian-backed shell companies or intermediaries may have circumvented laws designed to prohibit foreign meddling in our elections.”</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">February 2, 2018: Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden sends separate letters to the NRA and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin demanding they provide any documents showing financial ties between the NRA and Russia. </span>“I am specifically troubled by the possibility that Russian-backed shell companies or intermediaries may have circumvented laws designed to prohibit foreign meddling in our elections,” Wyden writes. NRA General Counsel John Frazer responds, “The NRA and its related entities do not accept funds from foreign persons or entities in connection with United States.” </div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">February 14, 2018: Following the school massacre in Parkland, Florida, Kremlin-linked trolls and Russian state media jump into action on Twitter, stirring both sides of the gun debate.</span></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">February 21, 2018: During a live-televised “listening session” with Parkland survivors at the White House, Trump endorses NRA talking points to end “gun-free zones” and arm teachers to “harden” America’s schools. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">February 22, 2018: Trump hails the leaders of the NRA: </span>“Great People and Great American Patriots. They love our Country and will do the right thing. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” <b>NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch echoes Trump’s blame on the FBI’s Russia investigation for the failure to prevent the Parkland massacre: “Maybe if you politicized your agency less and did your job more, we wouldn’t have these problems.”</b></div><div>
</div><div>March 2018: In an NRA magazine, LaPierre blasts media bias against Trump, specifically calling out coverage of “the bogus Russia investigation.”</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">March 1, 2018: <b>Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet privately in the Oval Office with NRA Executive Director Chris Cox</b>. Trump calls the meeting “great.” Cox announces: “POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don’t want gun control. #NRA #MAGA.”</span></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></span></div><div><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></span></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">bs http://meetthenra.org/nra-member/Chris%20Cox%20%28Executive%20Director%29
<span class="field-content">
<div class="views-field-field-biography-value">
<label class="views-label-field-biography-value">
Biography:
</label>
<div class="field-content"><p>After receiving a B.A. from Rhodes College, Chris Cox worked as a legislative aide to U.S.
Representative John Tanner (D-TN) and as a lobbyist. He began working
for the National Rifle Association in 1995 as a federal liaison in the
NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). Cox was promoted to
Deputy Director of the Federal Affairs Division in 2000 before taking
over as the Executive Director of NRA-ILA in 2002. He develops and
executes political campaign and legislative initiatives, coordinates
national advertising and direct-mail programs and has administrative
responsibility over ILA’s $20 million budget. Cox also serves as
chairman of the NRA’s political action committee, the “Political Victory
Fund.” </p></div>
</div>
<div class="views-field-field-salary-value">
<label class="views-label-field-salary-value">
Base Salary:
</label>
<span class="field-content">$588, 412</span></div>
<div class="views-field-field-compensation-value">
<label class="views-label-field-compensation-value">
Other Compensation:
</label>
<span class="field-content">$70,796</span></div>
<span class="views-field-phpcode">
<span class="field-content"></span>
<div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even">
<div class="views-field-body">
<div class="field-content"><p>Controversial Actions and Statements:</p></div></div>
<span class="views-field-phpcode">
<span class="field-content"></span>
</span></div>
<div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd">
<div class="views-field-body">
<div class="field-content"><p>In an October 23, 2012 op-ed for the <i>Daily Caller</i>, Cox wrote, “<a href="http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/23/just-14-days-to-freedom/" target="blank">Fewelections in American history have mattered more to the future of our
gun rights than the one that will take place just two weeks from today …
Just one vote on the [Supreme] Court is all that stands between the
America our Founding Fathers established, and the America [President]
Barack Obama and his gun-ban allies envision. If Obama wins a second
term, he could nominate up to three additional anti-Second Amendment
judges in the same mold as his previous two [Supreme Court] nominees,
Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Obama’s new majority would then almost
certainly erase the Second Amendment from the Bill of Rights … Barack
Obama’s vision for America is a nation that most of us would hardly
recognize, let alone want to live in. And if re-elected, Obama will have
the chance to make his vision a reality … It’s time to take our country
back. It’s time to defeat Barack Obama</a>.” </p></div>
</div>
<span class="views-field-tid">
<span class="field-content"><a href="http://meetthenra.org/ties?tid=38">Conspiracy Theory</a> | <a href="http://meetthenra.org/ties?tid=14">Republican Party (GOP)</a> | </span></span>
<span class="views-field-phpcode">
<span class="field-content"></span>
</span></div>
<div class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even">
<div class="views-field-body">
<div class="field-content"><p>On October 5, 2012, Cox announced the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund’s
endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in
Fishersville, Virginia. Cox stated,</p></div></div></div>
<p>---</p><p>http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/12/21/the-media-myth-of-nra-electoral-dominance-shoul/191944</p><p>In yet another year plagued by horrific instances of gun violence,
the media was quick to react to tragedies by labeling gun violence
prevention efforts futile on the basis of the alleged ability of the
National Rifle Association to ruin the political careers of anyone who
dared to stand in the way of its anti-gun regulation agenda.
Earlier this year, Slate's<em> </em>Brian Palmer <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/07/03/the-nra-is-still-a-political-paper-tiger/186914">typified this narrative</a> with an
article titled "Why Is The NRA So Powerful?" that suggested that the
pro-gun organization "considered by many the most powerful lobbying
group in the country" can "reliably deliver votes." In the wake of the
Newtown school massacre, Slate <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/06/eric_holder_charged_with_contempt_how_did_the_nra_swing_the_votes_of_so_many_democrats_.html">republished </a>the article verbatim. Also following the Newtown massacre, NBC's David Gregory and Fox News' Chris Wallace <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/12/16/fox-news-sunday-and-meet-the-press-push-media-m/191871">both suggested</a> that politicians who favored gun violence prevention measures would face serious reprisals.
In making these claims, the media simply advanced a years old
narrative suggesting the NRA wields unlimited political power without
citing any actual evidence for that position. In fact, 2012 was a year
full of indicators that the extent of NRA influence has been wildly
exaggerated. The media should keep this in mind as they prepare to cover
the NRA's press conference this morning responding to the Newtown
massacre.
During the past year, the National Rifle Association was abandoned by political and business allies and spent nearly <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2012/return_on_investment/">$18 million</a> in a failed attempt to keep supporters of gun violence prevention out of Congress and the White House.
Even as the NRA's brand was deemed toxic by the shadowy American
Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative "model legislation"
group, and faced withering criticism in the wake of the Newtown school
massacre, the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/12/17/media-exaggerate-nras-ability-to-punish-politic/191882">media myth</a> has <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/12/16/fox-news-sunday-and-meet-the-press-push-media-m/191871">persisted</a> that the NRA has the capability to punish politicians who oppose its <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/12/15/1341181/the-5-sensible-gun-safety-regulations-that-even-nra-members-support/">extreme agenda</a>.</p>
<h2>NRA's Support For "Kill At Will" Laws Too Extreme For ALEC</h2>
<p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Although the NRA had worked with ALEC <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/12/11908/nraalec-reactionary-gun-agenda">for decades</a> to
advance weak gun laws in state legislatures across the nation,
backlash against the NRA-supported "Kill At Will" law connected to the
shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin led ALEC to eliminate its
NRA-chaired committee that had helped enact variations of the law across
the country.</span>
After neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman fatally shot
unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin on February 26, controversy
quickly surrounded Florida's "Kill At Will" self-defense law, which is
termed "Stand Your Ground" by its proponents. Law enforcement initially
cited the law as the reason why Zimmerman was not arrested, and <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/20/five-prosecutors-who-warned-of-the-law-protecti/186038">legal experts</a> and <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/stand-your-ground-law/">reporters</a> demonstrated
how "Kill At Will" could offer legal protection to individuals who used
deadly force under seemingly criminal circumstances.
On March 21, <em>Media Matters</em> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/21/alec-has-pushed-the-nras-stand-your-ground-law/186459">revealed</a> that the NRA -- whose <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/22/marion-hammer-the-nra-lobbyist-behind-floridas/184284">lobbyist</a> was <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/21/a-look-back-at-the-nras-effort-to-pass-floridas/186531">instrumental</a> in
enacting Florida's 2005 "Kill At Will" law -- had used its position as
co-chair of ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force to push "Kill
At Will" as model legislation nationwide. A media firestorm ensued, with
progressive organizations led by Center for Media and Democracy, Color
of Change, ProgressNow, Common Cause, and People for the American Way
using the ALEC-NRA link to encourage businesses to cut ties with the
model legislation organization.
While ALEC's top corporate sponsors <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/23/alecs-corporate-backers-silent-on-shoot-first-l/184656">initially stayed silent</a> as
a growing number pundits, politicians and advocacy organizations
weighed in on ALEC's role in advancing "Kill At Will," the movement
reached a tipping point with the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Corporations_that_Have_Cut_Ties_to_ALEC">departure</a> of Coca-Cola on April 4. Other large corporations <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/14/464580/9th-and-10th-companies-drop-alec/">followed suit</a> in cutting ties with ALEC including Mars, Inc., Kraft, Wendy's, and McDonald's.
On April 17, ALEC announced that it was <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/04/17/alec-eliminates-task-force-that-did-nras-biddin/184470">eliminating</a> the Public Safety and Elections Task Force that had pushed "Kill At Will" nationwide. Still, corporations <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Corporations_that_Have_Cut_Ties_to_ALEC">continued</a> to
drop out in light of the public relations disaster created by the
NRA-backed task force. Among those that subsequently departed: Blue
Cross Blue Shield, YUM! Brands, Procter & Gamble, Amazon.com,
Wal-Mart, Johnson & Johnson, Dell Computers, MillerCoors,
Hewlett-Packard, Best Buy, General Motors, Walgreens, General Electric,
Sprint Nextel, Wells Fargo and Bank of America.
The NRA was <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/04/23/nra-reportedly-seething-over-elimination-of-ale/186164">reportedly furious</a> with
ALEC's decision to eliminate the task force. On April 23, CNN
contributor Erick Erickson reported that an NRA representative
admonished ALEC during that week's conservative roundtable hosted by NRA
board member and Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist.
According to Erickson, the NRA accused ALEC of "run[ning] away from the
fight." The ALEC representative reportedly responded by complaining that
the NRA had refused to help push back against criticism of "Kill At
Will."
For its part, the NRA has not backed down on "Kill At Will." On the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/30/nra-spent-anniversary-of-trayvon-martins-death/184221">one-month anniversary</a> of
Trayvon Martin's death, the NRA deployed a lobbyist to the Alaska
legislature and urged its members to support the passage of "Kill At
Will." During the NRA's annual meeting, held in St. Louis,
Missouri in April, top NRA lobbyist Chris Cox <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/04/17/exclusive-audio-nra-chief-lobbyist-cox-says-we/184199">vowed</a> to defend "Kill At Will" laws while NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/04/14/nras-lapierre-responds-to-trayvon-martin-killin/183980">accused</a> the media of "manufactur[ing] controversy for ratings" in covering Trayvon Martin's killing.
Testifying before a Florida task force to examine its "Kill At Will"
law on October 16, Marion Hammer, a past president and current lobbyist
for the NRA, <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/10/16/national-rifle-association-proud-of-its-role-in/190669">reiterated</a> that the NRA was "proud to have been a part of the process" in enacting "Kill At Will."</p>
<h2>The NRA's Toothless "All In" Campaign To Defeat Obama Fails</h2>
<p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In February, after spending much of 2011 <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2011/12/27/2011-a-year-in-the-nras-insane-paranoid-conspir/185712">advancing a hysterical conspiracy theory</a> about
a supposed plot by President Obama to "destroy the Second Amendment"
during his second term, the NRA announced an "All In" campaign to defeat
Obama. In the end, the NRA spent <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2012/return_on_investment/">more than $18 million</a> -- including nearly <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/outside-spending/committee/national-rifle-association-institute-for-legislative-action/C90013301">$12 million</a> on the <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/outside-spending/committee/national-rifle-association-of-america-political-victory-fund/C00053553">presidential race</a> -- on the 2012 elections to little effect.</span>
In a February column for the NRA publication <em>America's 1st Freedom</em> titled "All In!" LaPierre <a href="http://www.nrapublications.org/index.php/12385/all-in/">compared</a> in vivid detail deaths of 250,000 people who perished in a 2004 tsunami in South Asia to the prospect of a second Obama term.
In the months leading up to Election Day, the NRA spent tens of
millions of dollars on independent expenditures supporting a cast of
largely Republican NRA endorsees while also spending to oppose the
candidates in favor of gun violence prevention.
Candidates backed by the NRA fared poorly on Election Day. The <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/outside-spending/committee/national-rifle-association-of-america-political-victory-fund/C00053553">NRA Political Victory Fund</a> and the <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/outside-spending/committee/national-rifle-association-institute-for-legislative-action/C90013301">NRA Institute for Legislative Action</a> spent over
$12 million trying to defeat the president. Obama was comfortably
re-elected. More than 95 percent of the more than $18 million the
NRA spent on federal elections went to races where the NRA-backed
candidate lost on Election Day. The PVF in particular was <a href="http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2012/return_on_investment/">one of the most ineffective</a> outside spenders during the 2012 elections.
<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The NRA also failed to garner Congressional victories. In six of seven Senate races where the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/07/what-the-nras-all-in-failure-means-for-the-medi/191205">NRA spent over $100,000</a> on the general election, the candidate supported by the NRA lost. Of 26 House incumbents who lost their seats, <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/13/house-losses-demonstrate-weakness-of-medias-nra/191342">18 were endorsed by the NRA</a>.
Four of the eight defeated incumbents not endorsed by the NRA were
Democrats who lost to other Democrats in <b>California's</b> top-two primary
system.</span>
The NRA <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/14/nra-lashes-out-at-dim-journalists-for-shatterin/191377">lashed out at journalists</a> who
reported on the NRA's failure, citing the passage of hunters' rights
amendments in three states as evidence of electoral success, even though
the amendment was <a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/10/27/nra_pushes_right_to_hunt_and_fish_amendments/">not even opposed</a> by
NRA nemesis the Humane Society. In subsequent bad news for the NRA, the
results of a survey conducted by bipartisan pollsters released on
November 29 found that voters <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/29/contrary-to-medias-nra-powerhouse-myth-voters-p/191572">trusted Obama more than Romney</a> on the gun issue in three key swing states.
<img src="http://mediamatters.org/static/images/item/obamatrustedguns.JPG" width="400" height="295" />
The NRA's campaign messaging was also found to be ineffective. Voters
who recalled hearing from the NRA said that the material made them more
favorable to Democrat Tim Kaine, who defeated NRA-backed George Allen
in the Virginia Senate race. The NRA attacked the findings of the survey
by <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/30/nra-news-falls-flat-in-discrediting-bipartisan/191616">lying</a> about the poll's methodology through its media mouthpiece, NRA News.
Even after its resounding defeat in 2012, LaPierre took to NRA News to <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/14/fresh-off-grueling-election-defeat-nra-leader-p/191373">predict electoral victory</a> in
2014, claiming that Democrats who support gun violence prevention laws
will "go out on that plank" with President Obama and "the American
public and the NRA will saw it right off."</p>
<h2>NRA Goes Silent In Wake Of Newtown, Allies Flee</h2>
<p>After a gunman used an assault rifle to kill 20 children and six
adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, the NRA shut
down its social media pages and immediately <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/17/tech/social-media/nra-social-media-silence/index.html">refused to comment</a> on
the tragedy. In the following days, some of the NRA's top Senate allies
and business interests broke with the NRA and the gun lobby.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the NRA deleted its
Facebook page and did not tweet for four days. It also remained silent
on its NRA Institute for Legislative Action page during that time
period, until it <a href="http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/news-from-nra-ila/2012/12/important-statement-from-the-national-rifle-association.aspx">announced</a> on December 18 that it will hold a news conference to address the Newtown shooting. As Slate<em> </em>columnist David Weigel noted, it is <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/12/nra_and_gun_control_the_national_rifle_association_scares_its_members_into.html">standard operating procedure</a> for
the NRA to remain tightlipped in the wake of high-profile shootings,
although the organization usually releases a short perfunctory
statement.
<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On December 17, two NRA A-rated Senators, Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mark Warner (D-VA) <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/manchin-warner-gun-control.php">called for restrictions</a>
on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The NRA vehemently
opposes such restrictions.</span> The senators were joined on December 18 by A+
rated Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) who said during an interview on MSNBC
that "I think that's where we need to go with this discussion is, yes,
put gun control -- more gun control -- on the table." In October, Rep.
Kingston touted his NRA endorsement on his <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/rep-jack-kingston/national-rifle-association-backs-kingston/495738650450149">Facebook page</a>. The same day, Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/12/18/1355081/rick-snyder-guns/">vetoed</a> legislation to allow concealed weapons to be carried in schools. The NRA had <a href="http://www.nraila.org/legislation/state-legislation/2012/11/michigan-legislation-to-expand-concealed-carry-and-eliminate-concealed-weapons-licensing-boards-approved-by-the-state-senate,-sent-to-house.aspx?s=Michigan+59&st=&ps=">described</a> the bill as "pro-Second Amendment reform legislation."
<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Business interests also moved to distance themselves from the gun industry, a <a href="http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf">major funder</a> of the NRA. On December 18, private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/cerberus-to-sell-gunmaker-freedom-group/">announced plans</a> to
sell the gun conglomerate Freedom Group after some investors expressed
concern over the firm's relationship with the gun maker. Freedom Group
owns Bushmaster, the company responsible for manufacturing the assault
rifle used in the Newtown mass shooting, as well as <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/business/how-freedom-group-became-the-gun-industrys-giant.html?pagewanted=all">assault weapons manufacturers</a> Remington Arms and DPMS Panther Arms.</span>
Many of the companies that make up the Freedom Group are NRA
corporate sponsors, including Remington Arms, DPMS Panther Arms, H&R
Firearms, Marlin and Para USA. Since 2005, Para USA has <a href="http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf#page=21">given</a> between $100,000 and $249,999 to the NRA. DPMS Panther <a href="http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf#page=23">gave</a> the NRA between $50,000 and $99,999 during the same period. Remington Arms, H&R Firearms, and Marlin have also <a href="http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf#page=24">all made contributions</a> of $25,000 to $49,999. In 2011, Remington <a href="http://www.nra.org/Article.aspx?id=16762">became the sponsor</a> of the <em>Friends of NRA </em>television show that airs on the Outdoor Channel.
On December 18, firearms retailer Dick's Sporting Goods announced plans to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/18/justice/connecticut-dicks-guns/index.html">suspend the sale of assault rifles</a>,
for the time being, in its stores. The company also said that it was
pulling all firearms from the shelves of its store closest to Newtown.
The same day, the Discovery Channel announced that its <em>America's Guns </em>show, which had been <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaMlyxran9Y">celebrated</a> by NRA News, was cancelled with <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2012/12/discovery-series-american-guns-cancelled/">no plans to air reruns</a>. A spokesperson for Discovery also <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/18/discovery-channel-kicks-ted-nugent-to-the-curb/">confirmed</a> that NRA board member Ted Nugent's gun culture special <em><a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/10/11/five-crazy-moments-from-ted-nugents-discovery-c/190553">Ted Nugent's Gun Country</a> </em>"would definitely not be returning to the Discovery Channel." Nugent had <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/10/12/will-discovery-channel-air-more-episodes-of-ted/190591">previously claimed</a> that the Discovery Channel "want[s] to do [the special] as a regular feature."
Conservatives in media also distanced themselves from the NRA's
opposition to firearms restrictions. On December 14, News Corp. chairman
Rupert Murdoch <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/12/17/murdoch-calls-for-gun-reform-while-fox-news-dem/191873">used his Twitter account</a> to
ask, "When will politicians find the courage to ban automatic weapons?"
Joe Scarborough, a former top NRA rated Republican congressman and
current MSNBC host, delivered a <a href="http://mediamatters.org/video/2012/12/17/joe-scarborough-breaks-with-the-nra-and-calls-f/191872">10-minute monologue</a> concerning the Newtown massacre on the December 17 edition of <em>Morning Joe</em>.
Scarborough called for the end of the "proliferation of combat-styled
weapons" and said, "Politicians can no longer be allowed to defend the
status quo. They must be instead forced to defend our children."
The tone even changed on Fox News, where calls for increased gun regulation are <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/12/17/fox-news-extreme-pro-gun-rhetoric-vs-rupert-mur/191883">routinely attacked</a>. Fox News contributor Peter Johnson Jr., who is considered to be the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/10/26/do-the-conspiracy-theories-pushed-by-foxs-peter/190949">on-air mouthpiece</a> of network CEO Roger Ailes, <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/12/18/ailes-mouthpiece-hints-at-support-for-stronger/191890">expressed support</a> for an assault weapons ban and stated on the December 18 edition of <em>Fox & Friends </em> that "the government has the right to register and regulate ... firearms."</p><p>
</p><p>---
</p>
<div id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div>
<div id="jump-to-nav" class="mw-jump">
Jump to: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#mw-head">navigation</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#p-search">search</a>
</div>
<p><b>Chris W. Cox</b> has been the chief <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbyist" title="Lobbyist" class="mw-redirect">lobbyist</a> for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association" title="National Rifle Association">National Rifle Association</a> (NRA) since being appointed in 2002. He serves as the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action,<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> more commonly known as the NRA-ILA.<br/>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,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup> the association's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee">Political action committee</a>.</p>
<table id="toc" class="toc"><tbody><tr><td>
<div id="toctitle">
<h2>Contents</h2>
</div>
<ul><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#Early_life_and_education"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Early life and education</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#NRA_career"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">NRA career</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#Assault_Weapons_Ban"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Assault Weapons Ban</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#2004_elections"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">2004 elections</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#Lawsuit_protection"><span class="tocnumber">2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Lawsuit protection</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#Quotes"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Quotes</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#See_also"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#References"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#External_links"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li></ul>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life_and_education">Early life and education</span></h2>
<p>According to his NRA-ILA biography, Cox enjoyed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunting" title="Hunting">hunting</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing" title="Fishing">fishing</a> with his father and three brothers in west Tennessee. He is a graduate of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_College" title="Rhodes College">Rhodes College</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,Tennessee" title="Memphis, Tennessee">Memphis</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee" title="Tennessee">Tennessee</a>, where he earned a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_degree" title="Bachelor's degree">Bachelor's degree</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History" title="History">history</a> and minored in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administration%28business%29" title="Administration (business)" class="mw-redirect">business administration</a>.</p>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="NRA_career">NRA career</span></h2>
<p>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.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#cite_note-2"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="Assault_Weapons_Ban">Assault Weapons Ban</span></h3>
<div class="rellink boilerplate seealso">See also: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Assault_Weapons_Ban" title="Federal Assault Weapons Ban">Federal Assault Weapons Ban</a></div>
<p>In 2004, Cox lobbied on behalf of the NRA-ILA to end the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Due to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_provision" title="Sunset provision">sunset provision</a>, the ban was set to expire after 10 years. Cox utilized a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots" title="Grassroots">grassroots</a> campaign, which included editorial pieces and news media appearances.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-3"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup> Senator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein" title="Dianne Feinstein">Dianne Feinstein</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party%28United_States%29" title="Democratic Party (United States)">D</a>-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California" title="California">CA</a>) attached a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider%28legislation%29" title="Rider (legislation)">rider</a> to Congress's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_of_Lawful_Commerce_in_Arms_Act" title="Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act">Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act</a>. Had the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amend%28motion%29" title="Amend (motion)">amendment</a> passed, the AWB would have been extended an additional ten years. Though President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush">George W. Bush</a> had agreed to sign the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban%28law%29" title="Ban (law)">ban</a>
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.</p>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="2004_elections">2004 elections</span></h3>
<p>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,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a></sup> by utilizing the organization's grassroots technique.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="Lawsuit_protection">Lawsuit protection</span></h3>
<p>As of September 2003, the NRA's focus at the federal level is on a bill to protect manufacturers from certain types of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawsuits" title="Lawsuits" class="mw-redirect">lawsuits</a>. The "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_of_Lawful_Commerce_in_Arms_Act" title="Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act">Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act</a>" (S.659/S.1806) is also supported by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Chamber_of_Commerce" title="U.S. Chamber of Commerce" class="mw-redirect">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Manufacturers" title="National Association of Manufacturers">National Association of Manufacturers</a>,
and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, and opposed by
many gun-control groups. The Senate amended the bill to extend the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_weapons_ban" title="Assault weapons ban" class="mw-redirect">assault weapons ban</a> and close the so-called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_shows_in_the_United_States#Controversies" title="Gun shows in the United States">"gun-show loophole"</a>, 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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush" title="George W. Bush">George W. Bush</a> on October 26, 2005. The bill carried two amendments: requiring the purchase of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_lock" title="Trigger lock" class="mw-redirect">trigger lock</a>
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.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W._Cox#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Quotes">Quotes</span></h2>
<p>"We've all been blamed for everything from smallpox to world hunger, so we're used to being attacked unfairly." —March 20, 2006 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BusinessWeek" title="BusinessWeek" class="mw-redirect">BusinessWeek</a> article on <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_You_for_Smoking%28film%29" title="Thank You for Smoking (film)">Thank You for Smoking</a>.</i><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_note-7"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span></h2>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics" title="Gun politics">Gun politics</a></p>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-0"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-0"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">NRA-ILA News Release; 1 January 2005; <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=5476">http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=5476</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-1"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">NRA-ILA Political Victory Fund; <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.nrapvf.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx">http://www.nrapvf.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-2"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">NRA-ILA News Release; 1 January 2005; <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=5476">http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=5476</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-3"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Editorial; San Francisco Chronicle; 2004; <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/07/EDGIV5EQ6B1.DTL">http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/07/EDGIV5EQ6B1.DTL</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-4"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">NRA endorsement of President Bush; 2004; <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.nrapvf.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=4614">http://www.nrapvf.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=4614</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-5"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nraila.org/ActionCenter/GrassRootsActivism.aspx">NRA-ILA :: Grassroots Activism</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-6"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"Current Campaigns"; Wikipedia entry; <a class="external free" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#Current_campaigns">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#Current_campaigns</a></span></li><li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_W.Cox#cite_ref-7"></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_12/b3976102.htm">It's Hard Out Here For A Lobbyist</a></span></li></ol>
</div>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span></h2>
<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nraila.org/Media/PDFs/cwc_bio.pdf">Biography</a> NRA-ILA biography of Chris W. Cox.</li><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nraila.org/About/Director.aspx">Chris W. Cox NRA-ILA report</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nrapvf.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx">NRA-ILA Political Victory Fund</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/07/EDGIV5EQ6B1.DTL">"Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in."</a> 2004 San Francisco Chronicle article; part of grassroots campaign against the AWB.</li><li>===</li></ul><h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">
<span dir="auto">Institute for Legislative Action</span></h1>
<p>The Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_note-0">[1]</a></sup><br/>Members of Congress have ranked the NRA as the most powerful lobbying organization in the country several years in a row.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_note-1">[2]</a></sup> Opponents of the organization accuse it of unduly influencing political appointments.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_note-2">[3]</a></sup> Chris W. Cox is the NRA's chief lobbyist and principal political strategist, a position he has held since 2002.
<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">During the 2008 presidential campaign, the NRA spent $10 million.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_note-3">[4]</a></sup>
In 2011, the organization refused an offer to discuss gun control with
U.S. President Barack Obama. In response to the invitation, NRA CEO
Wayne LaPierre said <b>"Why should I or the N.R.A. go sit down with a group
of people that have spent a lifetime trying to destroy the Second
Amendment </b>in the United States?" In his statement, LaPierre named
Secretary of State <b>Hillary Clinton and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
(both Democrats</b>) as examples of the "people" he referred to.</span><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_note-4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">[</span>5]</a></sup></p>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h3>
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-0"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_ref-0">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Organization website, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nraila.org/about-nra-ila.aspx">About NRA-ILA</a> Institute for Legislative Action, accessed on September 17, 2012</span></li><li id="cite_note-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_ref-1">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/1999/11/FORTUNE_Releases_Annual_Survey_Most_Powerful_Lobbying_11-15-1999.php">FORTUNE Releases Annual Survey of Most Powerful Lobbying Organizations"</a> TimeWarner.com, November 15, 1999</span></li><li id="cite_note-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_ref-2">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Center for Defense Information, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0626-15.htm">Power of NRA Showcased in U.S. Delegation to Small Arms Conference"</a> Common Dreams, June 26, 2006</span></li><li id="cite_note-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_ref-3">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Eunice Moscoso, "NRA campaign against Obama carries $10 million price tag," <i>Palm Beach Post</i>, October 21, 2008)</span></li><li id="cite_note-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Institute_for_Legislative_Action#cite_ref-4">↑</a> <span class="reference-text">Jackie Calmes, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/us/politics/15guns.html">N.R.A. Declines to Meet With Obama on Gun Policy"</a> <i>New York Times</i>, March 15, 2011</span></li></ol></span></span></font>