Rights and Wrongs in Charlotte

By Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, 20 May 2010) The 139^th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits was held last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was a record-setter with over 70,000 in attendance, including three representatives of The Firearms Coalition, my brother Chris, sister Shan, and myself.  Due to scheduling conflicts and airline delays the three of us converged on Charlotte at about 4:30 Friday afternoon, just in time to get cleaned up for the Grass Roots North Carolina “Gala for Gun Rights and Second Amendment Symposium.”  The event was held at the Marriott, Charlotte City Center and I was one of the speakers along with Joe Tartaro of GunWeek and the Second Amendment Foundation; John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime; US Senator Richard Burr; and Alan Gura, lead attorney in both the Heller and McDonald cases.  GRNC was kind enough to allow Chris to set up a table in the back of the room where sales of his book, Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War, were brisk.  Chris donated a portion of the proceeds to GRNC.

Continue reading Wronged in Charlotte →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

National Training Week

By Jeff Knox

National Training Week, July 4 through 11, is set aside in conjunction with Independence Day to remind people that liberty and independence are closely tied to responsible possession of firearms.  Every American owes a debt of thanks to our forebears who saw fit to enshrine the right to arms in our Constitution and to use that right to defend our liberty for the past 234 years.  National Training Week is an opportunity to exercise that right and to share it with others.  There are endless reasons for getting involved: Manufacturers, resellers, and range operators can grow their businesses by promoting this event and then making firearms, ammunition, training, and shooting facilities more affordable and accessible leading up to and during this special week.  It is an ideal time for ranges to host the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s First Shots program and for clubs to invite the public to Open House days.  Firearms enthusiasts get an excuse to burn through some of that ammo that’s been stacking up and dust off those neglected guns.  It’s also a great time to ask a friend and coworkers to go shooting and introduce them to the fun and history of firearms.

Continue reading National Training Week →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

Your Duty to Vote

By Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, April 29, 2010) I propose that the “firearms fraternity” begin placing as much emphasis on voting and voter education as we do on safety and safety education.

Unintentional firearms injuries and fatalities have dropped by some 60% over the past 20 years while the number of firearms in circulation has more than doubled.  These amazing results are not due to government programs, laws, or regulations.  They are a result of education and an almost universal acceptance of and insistence on adherence to the basic rules of firearms safety.  Gun owners not only practice firearms safety, they advocate for it and expect it from others, and they shun anyone who fails to abide by the rules.  The improving firearms safety record is a stellar example of positive peer pressure.  We in the firearms fraternity need to extend that success into the realm of voting.

Gun owners should see voting in every election, and having a general understanding of the candidates’ positions regarding rights, as a core obligation for themselves, their friends, and their family.  Those who do not vote – regardless of their excuse or rationalization – should be seen as letting down their brothers and sisters in arms.  They are failing in their obligation as citizens, and empowering the enemies of liberty.  In short, GunVoters need to look at gun owners who don’t vote with the same incredulity that they would look at a person who recklessly waves a gun around with a finger on the trigger.  Excuses like “My vote doesn’t matter” should be received with the same disdain shown when someone says “Hey, it isn’t loaded.”

Continue reading VOTE!!! →

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

Practicing Politics

By Chris & Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, 8 April, 2010) Conditions have lined up for 2010 to be the year of the perfect electoral storm.  But in order to create the kind of storm the Republic needs, one that cleans out an insubordinate and defiant Congress, GunVoters and pro-rights activists need to get organized.  The time to start is now.  Just as my friend, noted author and radio host Dave Ramsey says about saving money, it’s never too early to get involved in politics, but it’s better to get involved late than not to get involved at all.  Whether you’re reading this in May, or October, you need to take action.

There are many ways to participate in the political process and all of them are important.  The first, and most fundamental, is to vote.  Make sure that you are registered to vote and that you show up on Election Day.  Dismiss the excuses.  I’ve heard them all and they are all lame.

Continue reading Practice, Practice, Practice… →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

The Firearms Industry and the Second Amendment

By Chris Knox

What follows is an excerpt from Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War, a compilation of columns and essays by my late father Neal Knox.

“The State of New York about a year ago enacted a very drastic firearms law, known as the Sullivan law.  This law was intended to stop crime, and statistics show that there has been more crime in that state than ever.  Crime conditions even got so bad that enterprising concerns in New York are issuing insurance policies against loss by holdups.  The presidents of seven burglar insurance companies have petitioned the state legislature to repeal the Sullivan Law.”

There’s no doubt what that writer would think about New York’s law today, almost three-quarters of a century after he wrote that pamphlet “Concerning Revolver Legislation.”

Continue reading Industry Support of Rights →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

Discomfort with the Comfort of Skill at Arms

By Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, March 11, 2010) Dr. Ignatius Piazza, founder of Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, is fond of talking about “the comfort of skill at arms.”  It’s not only a part of his sales pitch it’s also an integral part of the overall philosophy taught at the school.  It is an important concept because having full confidence in your own ability to handle almost any serious encounter that might arise is a very comfortable feeling.  Of course that comfort must never be allowed to slip into complacency or cockiness and that too is emphasized in Front Sight training.  The comfort of skill at arms removes anxiety and makes the world a much more inviting, less threatening place.  There is a downside to the comfort of skill at arms though and that is the intensified discomfort of being disarmed. Continue reading Disarmed Discomfort →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

Disarm the Bureaucrats

By Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, March 19, 2010) There is nothing unusual about a federal agency buying guns, particularly a federal agency with law enforcement authority, but when that federal agency is the Office of the Inspector General for the US Department of Education, well, that rightfully raised a few eyebrows.  The EDOIG put out a solicitation seeking 27 Remington 870, 12 gauge, pump shotguns with 14 inch barrels and Knoxx (no relation) adjustable, recoil reducing stocks.  The document went on to explain that the 14in Remington 870s are the “only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.” Continue reading Armed Bureaucrats →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

Deciphering the Court

Deciphering Your Rights

By Jeff Knox

(Washington, DC, March 5) Oral arguments in the Supreme Court case of McDonald v. Chicago were an interesting show on March 2. (Read the Transcript here.)  Most of the Justices made their positions on applying the Second Amendment to the states – and what mechanism to use to do it – fairly clear from the outset.  Most observers agree that the Court will declare that states must recognize a fundamental right to keep and bear arms.

Continue reading McDonald at SCOTUS →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

Effective Activist Politics

Lesson Six: Strategic Planning

By Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, February 4, 2010) It’s been awhile since I have written an installment of my Effective Activist Politics series, but this is one of the most important topics for activists and activist organizations to pay attention to so I’m adding it to the series.  If you’d like to read or re-read the other articles in the series they are available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org and also at www.GunVoter.org.

Every grass roots lobbying organization needs to schedule two strategic planning sessions every year.  The output of one is a legislative plan, and the other is a political action plan.

The legislative session should be held after elections and before the legislature convenes.  In most states, that will fall in December or January.  The political action planning session should be held as soon after the legislature adjourns as possible. Continue reading Strategic Planning →

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

Swing for the Fences!

By Jeff Knox

(Manassas, VA, January 28, 2010) In politics, like baseball, there is a time to bunt and a time to swing for the fence.  This year is ripe for home runs.  The political climate this year offers a unique opportunity for rights advocates to make major gains – both legislatively and politically.  To make those gains we need to pull out all of the stops and go big.

The election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts was clear proof that voters are unhappy.  Politicians who were already concerned about disgruntled voters are now terrified as they look toward the November elections.  Pundits and analysts can spin the Brown victory any way they wish but the facts are clear.  Voters are not happy with the way Democrats have exercised control of both houses of Congress and the Presidency.  The backlash won’t stop at congressional elections and the local politicians know it.  Many state legislators rode the wave of Democrat ascendancy to gain control of their state legislatures and as they watch that wave crashing on the rocks, they know they have a serious fight on the way this November. Continue reading Swing for the Fences! →