By Dave Workman
Nationally-recognized political consultant—and an icon within the Second Amendment community—Chris Cox, president of Capitol 6 Advisors, had some strong advice for grassroots activists at this year’s Gun Rights Policy Conference.
Stop worrying about who gets credit.
“I care about winning,” Cox said.
While much has been accomplished in recent years, there is still much to be done, and it has to involve everyone, he explained.
“Today we live in the post-Bruen world,” he noted, “where freedom is expanding and our rights are finally being recognized for what they’ve always been. God-given, individual and undeniable.”
Cox arrived on Capitol Hill 33 years ago. At that time, there had been no Heller ruling, no McDonald decision and no landmark case known as Bruen, which rocked the anti-gun world by rejecting the “two-step” process for deciding Second Amendment cases. At that time, the Supreme Court didn’t even recognize the right existed to keep a handgun in the home for protection.
He acknowledged not realizing how well organized the gun control lobby actually was. He said it became clear in 1993 when a five-day waiting period bill was passed, and a year later when a ban on modern semiautomatic rifles was passed as part of the Clinton Crime Bill.
He remembered polling in the early 1990s which showed 43 percent of Americans supported a ban on handguns. But times have certainly changed. He reminisced about the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s on-air declaration that, if she had been able to secure the votes, she would have banned so-called “assault weapons” and forced American citizens to surrender their guns.
“When I arrived there was one state with constitutional carry,” Cox recalled. “Now there are 29. There’s still work to do, but restoration is underway.”
Cox gave lots of credit to the work done by the Second Amendment Foundation and its founder, Alan Gottlieb. Cox recognized Gottlieb, now the executive vice president at SAF and chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, for being a leader in the fight to restore the Second Amendment.
“The Second Amendment Foundation shows us that the courtroom can be a battlefield,” Cox noted. “And every ruling they secure doesn’t just win a case, it strengthens liberty for every American.”
He also applauded the work done by Doug Hamlin, the NRA’s executive vice president since May 2024, replacing longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre.
“He inherited a mess,” Cox stated about Hamlin. “He’s the right man at the right time to rebuild that organization with honor, because that’s exactly what you’d expect from a former Marine.”
Focusing on the horizon, Cox cautioned the GRPC audience that the battle is far from over.
“We still face a mainstream media that despises us and misrepresents us at every turn,” he said. “We still have Hollywood scripts being written that demonize gun ownership. And colleges and universities are still trying to brainwash our kids.
“But the politics are moving in our direction,” he added. “We can all feel it. That transformation didn’t happen by accident. It happened because you demanded it. Because you made gun rights a political litmus test. Because you proved that freedom matters more than slick political talking points.”
Cox, who was honored at the conference with the “Golden Bowtie” award, which goes to people and/or organizations who have made significant contributions of time and talent to SAF and its mission, gave the credit to citizen activism for much of the progress.
“It wasn’t politicians who saved the Second Amendment,” Cox explained. “It wasn’t lobbyists or lawyers or consultants. It was the people. It was you. It was citizens who turned out to vote, who showed up at town halls, who wrote letters, made phone calls, and reminded their elected officials they don’t rule us, they work for us.
“This fight is not over,” he observed. “The people who hate this freedom, the people who dream of disarming America, they haven’t gone away. They wake up every day determined to destroy the very things that make this country unique. They will lie, they will cheat and yes they will steal, and if we rest, if we get complacent, they will win, because freedom doesn’t survive on auto-pilot.”
It takes a united front to prevent anti-gunners from succeeding, he advised. He warned against a “community of fractured gun owners,” and reminded the audience that “winning isn’t always pretty.”
Those on the side of gun rights should never expect a total victory, because Congress doesn’t provide perfection.
Still, he said, “Freedom survives when we stand shoulder to shoulder. We’ve come too far to turn back now.”
As he wrapped up his presentation, Cox told the room full of activists, “Together, let’s finish the work. For our children, for our grandchildren and always for freedom.”
Workman is editor-in-chief at TheGunMag.com
