- Gun Rights War Cover - McFarlene Press
Neal Knox-The Gun Rights Wars was released on July 4, 2009 in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of The Firearms Coalition. It honors Neal Knox who became the architect of the legislation that became the McClure-Volkmer Firearms Owners Protection Act that reformed parts of the 1968 Gun Control Act.
Gun Rights Wars Overview
The articles in the book were selected by Neal Knox's eldest son, Chris, from over forty years of his father's writing. The pieces have annotations added to put each one in its historical context. It is a diary of the Second Amendment movement through some its most crucial years. One section deals with Neal Knox's often-contentious relationship with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The book is divided into seven main subjects area which have been selected from columns that appeared in national magazines and newspapers. An example is the "Revolt at Cincinnati" that reflects his side of the struggles between himself and the NRA.
The seven sections in The Gun Rights War are:
- Credentials
- Principals
- The Culture War
- Politics
- The Gun Lobby
- Dark Passages
- An Uncertain Trumpet.
It encompasses the lessons Knox learned from the CIA connection to the anti-gun movement as well as the Waco and Ruby Ridge affairs.
One of the most frequently published stories, "The Belgian Corporal" is included. Neal Knox claimed that the lessons to be learned from that sad European's experience, while in his National Guard Company in 1955, motivated him to devote his life in defense of the Second Amendment.
The Firearms Coalition
The Firearms Coalition is an loosely-knit group of Second Amendment Activists, club and civil rights organizations which was founded by Neal Knox in 1984. It provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues and a historical perspective of the gun rights movement.
The Debate Over Gun Laws
The articles in The Gun Rights War chronicle the right to keep and bear arms over a 40 year period. It reflects the long-running debate over gun laws and gun rights including what some gun owners believe are legislative and regulatory assaults on handguns, gun shows, certain types of ammunition, waiting periods, and assault weapons bans.
Neal Knox Biography
Neal Knox was a gun owner, competitive shooter, a hunter and collector while working as a reporter before becoming the full-time editor of Gun Week in late 1966. This was during the time of the 1960's battle over guns on Capitol Hill and in some state legislatures. He also traveled to Washington, DC to testify before Congress. He had an enthusiastic love of guns and their uses to the nature and scope of grassroots activism.
Knox was a controversial figure-a heroic figure to some, to others a troublesome a prickly thorn who voiced his concerns, many of which are reflected in The Fire Arms Coalition. The conflict with the NRA resulted in him being excised from the organization.
Knox, Christ, editor and annotator. Neal Christ: The Gun Rights War. McFarlane Press: Manassas, VA 2009
