In a January 25, 2013 press release from the NRA-ILA, Cox wrote about an article in The Hill that reported the NRA was working on a bill with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to implement universal background checks on all firearms purchases. The release stated, “NRA does NOT support universal background checks and is not working with Manchin to implement this type of legislation. NRA opposes, and will continue to oppose, universal background checks.” Several polls conducted in January 2013 in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary indicated overwhelming public support for universal background checks. A public opinion poll published by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 89% of Americans and 74% of NRA members supported requiring a background check for all gun sales. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 85% of Americans and gun owners favored making private gun sales subject to background checks. A CBS/New York Times poll found that 92% of Americans and 85% of respondents living in a household with an NRA member supported universal background checks. At one time, even the NRA supported expanding background checks. In May 1999, following the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre told Congress that the NRA supported background checks on all firearms purchases at gun shows. A 1999 NRA ad in USA Today read, “We believe it's reasonable to provide for instant background checks at gun shows, just like gun stores and pawn shops.”

In a November 15, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote about the November 6 presidential election, stating, “As long as dedicated patriots continue to band together and fight as though freedom itself is on the line—because it is—we will defend the Second Amendment in [President Barack] Obama’s second term and save it for generations to come. For gun owners, the next four years won’t just be the fight of our lives, it will be a fight for the future of our nation. We’re ready to lead the charge.”

In an October 23, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote, “Few elections 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.”

In an October 23, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote, “Few elections 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.”

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, “Friends, what we do between now and November 6th will determine the type of country our kids and our grandkids grow up in. The question is, will it be a country of more government, more spending, more debt, more government intrusion into our personal lives, and less freedom? It’s important because that’s [President] Barack Obama’s vision for the future of our country. It’s a country we’d hardly recognize, let alone wanna live in … There are a hundred reasons to deny Barack Obama four more years in office, but none are more important than defending the freedoms that make this country great. These are the freedoms that we have to fight for because these are the freedoms that are at stake in this election. So fight. Do everything you can between now and election day … Today, we live in an America that is getting harder to recognize every day led by a President who mocks our values, belittles our faith, and is threatened by our freedom. Barack Obama is just another Washington, D.C. politician who will say whatever it takes to get elected. But don’t believe him … Thankfully we have a choice and the choice could not be more clear.”

In a September 7, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote, “So far this year, 369 people have been murdered in Chicago … [President Barack] Obama’s 2012 party platform makes it clear that if he wins re-election, he will work to bring the same, dangerous anti-gun policies that are destroying Chicago to cities and towns nationwide. For that reason, November’s election presents a clear choice between our Second Amendment freedoms and fundamental right to self-defense…and the murder and mayhem that Barack Obama helped bring to Chicago, but now wants us all to ignore.” The Democratic National Committee’s party platform states, “We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements—like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole—so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few.” Most of the crime guns recovered in Chicago are originally bought in Illinois. According to a 2008 to 2012 study by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, 45% of Illinois’ crime guns come from one county within the state, Cook County. Chuck’s Gun Store, in Cook County, supplies approximately 20% of the crime guns in Illinois. Roseanna Ander, executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, said that the data “suggests a key strategy in keep guns off the street is for law enforcement agencies to target the local gun stores most likely to sell firearms to straw purchasers.”

In a September 7, 2012 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote, “So far this year, 369 people have been murdered in Chicago … [President Barack] Obama’s 2012 party platform makes it clear that if he wins re-election, he will work to bring the same, dangerous anti-gun policies that are destroying Chicago to cities and towns nationwide. For that reason, November’s election presents a clear choice between our Second Amendment freedoms and fundamental right to self-defense…and the murder and mayhem that Barack Obama helped bring to Chicago, but now wants us all to ignore.” The Democratic National Committee’s party platform states, “We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements—like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole—so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few.” Most of the crime guns recovered in Chicago are originally bought in Illinois. According to a 2008 to 2012 study by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, 45% of Illinois’ crime guns come from one county within the state, Cook County. Chuck’s Gun Store, in Cook County, supplies approximately 20% of the crime guns in Illinois. Roseanna Ander, executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, said that the data “suggests a key strategy in keep guns off the street is for law enforcement agencies to target the local gun stores most likely to sell firearms to straw purchasers.”

On July 12, 2012, Cox wrote a letter to U.S. Senators in opposition to the DISCLOSE Act of 2012, a bill that would require disclosure of the corporations and high-dollar individual donors paying for “independent expenditure” political ads. In the letter, Cox stated that the Act’s “provisions require organizations to turn membership and donor lists over to the government” and would violate the right of citizens “to speak and associate privately and anonymously.” Cox threatened, “Due to the importance of the fundamental speech and associational rights of the National Rifle Association’s four million members, and considering the blatant attack on those rights that S. 3369 represents, we strongly oppose the DISCLOSE Act and will consider votes on this legislation in future candidate evaluations.” In fact, groups such as the NRA would not be required to disclose their entire membership or donor list, only the names of those donors whose aggregate donation during the reporting cycle was $10,000 or more. Organizations like the NRA could keep the names of some of their high dollar donors private under the legislation by setting up a separate bank account for independent political spending. Groups would only have to disclose the names of their high dollar donors whose money funded such independent expenditures. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in the controversial Citizens United decision endorsed this sort of disclosure as “the less-restrictive alternative to more comprehensive speech regulations.”

In a July 2, 2012 op-ed for The Washington Times, Cox wrote, “Today begins the most important 26-day period for our Second Amendment freedoms in recent history. That’s because today, representatives from many of the world’s socialist, tyrannical and dictatorial regimes will gather at United Nations headquarters in New York for a month-long meeting, in which they’ll put the finishing touches on an international Arms Trade Treaty that could seriously restrict your freedom to own, purchase and carry a firearm.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Cox added, “You might think that something so obviously menacing to one of our enumerated fundamental rights would receive a strong rebuke from our top government leaders. But you’d be wrong. This is President Barack Obama’s vision for America, and we’re expected to just go along with it. In fact, a group of anti-gun members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), went so far as to circulate a letter last week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, in which they ‘strongly urge the United States to take a leadership role in pushing for a strong, verifiable Arms Trade Treaty’ … Since when did it become fashionable for sitting members of Congress to lobby international thugs, tyrants and dictators against our own U.S. Constitution?”

In a July 2, 2012 op-ed for The Washington Times, Cox wrote, “Today begins the most important 26-day period for our Second Amendment freedoms in recent history. That’s because today, representatives from many of the world’s socialist, tyrannical and dictatorial regimes will gather at United Nations headquarters in New York for a month-long meeting, in which they’ll put the finishing touches on an international Arms Trade Treaty that could seriously restrict your freedom to own, purchase and carry a firearm.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Cox added, “You might think that something so obviously menacing to one of our enumerated fundamental rights would receive a strong rebuke from our top government leaders. But you’d be wrong. This is President Barack Obama’s vision for America, and we’re expected to just go along with it. In fact, a group of anti-gun members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), went so far as to circulate a letter last week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, in which they ‘strongly urge the United States to take a leadership role in pushing for a strong, verifiable Arms Trade Treaty’ … Since when did it become fashionable for sitting members of Congress to lobby international thugs, tyrants and dictators against our own U.S. Constitution?”

In a June 28, 2012, interview with NRA News, Cox spoke about a vote in the House of Representatives to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena for documents related to the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border. Cox stated, “The truth is, we’ve talked a lot about our dislike of Eric Holder. There’s no surprise that we think there’s something there … We believe, and have every reason to believe, that this was all part of their agenda to undermine the Second Amendment … I can assure you that Eric Holder’s contempt for the Second Amendment is the only thing that probably is stronger than Congress’ contempt for Eric Holder … We called for Eric Holder’s resignation over a year ago … But the best way to deal with Eric Holder, the best way to deal with these problems, is to defeat this president in November and to get some new people in there that have a little bit of common sense, a little bit of law enforcement background, that is legitimate, and that won’t be used to pursue a political agenda.” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2012 found that there is no evidence that “Fast and Furious” was part of a broader conspiracy to advance new gun regulations. The report also found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in the investigation until after it was concluded in 2011.

In a June 28, 2012, interview with NRA News, Cox spoke about a vote in the House of Representatives to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena for documents related to the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border. Cox stated, “The truth is, we’ve talked a lot about our dislike of Eric Holder. There’s no surprise that we think there’s something there … We believe, and have every reason to believe, that this was all part of their agenda to undermine the Second Amendment … I can assure you that Eric Holder’s contempt for the Second Amendment is the only thing that probably is stronger than Congress’ contempt for Eric Holder … We called for Eric Holder’s resignation over a year ago … But the best way to deal with Eric Holder, the best way to deal with these problems, is to defeat this president in November and to get some new people in there that have a little bit of common sense, a little bit of law enforcement background, that is legitimate, and that won’t be used to pursue a political agenda.” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2012 found that there is no evidence that “Fast and Furious” was part of a broader conspiracy to advance new gun regulations. The report also found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in the investigation until after it was concluded in 2011.

In the May 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Cox wrote, “If you’re like me…you’re disgusted by what has come out of the White House in the last three years. It’s not just [President Barack] Obama’s false claim of supporting the Second Amendment, whether to win election in 2008…or to dupe voters in electoral battleground states today. It’s also the repetitive, arrogant disregard for legal and traditional limits on presidential power.” Cox concluded, stating, “Together our ballots will help decide whether…election day 2012 goes down in history as the day we reaffirmed our belief that America is different, and ended the failed Obama experiment once and for all.”

In an April 17, 2012, interview with NRA News at the 2012 NRA Convention in St. Louis, Cox stated, “This is a different kind of election. This isn’t a normal election. This is going to be the toughest fight of our lives…losing is simply not an option … We know what [President Barack Obama’s] campaign strategy is. They’re gonna tell people for the next six months that nobody’s guns have been banned, that the president supports the Second Amendment. It’s a lie.” He continued, stating, “This is about economic freedom. It’s about religious freedom. It’s about constitutional freedom and the most fundamental of all of ‘em is your ability to defend the rest, which is the Second Amendment. And it’s at risk. It’s in play in this election. And we simply can’t afford to lose it.”

In an April 17, 2012, interview with NRA News at the 2012 NRA Convention in St. Louis, Cox stated, “This is a different kind of election. This isn’t a normal election. This is going to be the toughest fight of our lives…losing is simply not an option … We know what [President Barack Obama’s] campaign strategy is. They’re gonna tell people for the next six months that nobody’s guns have been banned, that the president supports the Second Amendment. It’s a lie.” He continued, stating, “This is about economic freedom. It’s about religious freedom. It’s about constitutional freedom and the most fundamental of all of ‘em is your ability to defend the rest, which is the Second Amendment. And it’s at risk. It’s in play in this election. And we simply can’t afford to lose it.”

On April 14, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Cox stated, “Friends, I know why President [Barack] Obama pays so little attention to the law. He thinks he’s above the law … He seems to think he’s the king of all three branches. How’s that for arrogance, folks?” Later, Cox referred to a discussion President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he told Medvedev he would have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious foreign policy issues, such as missile defense, following the November 2012 elections. Cox quipped, “In other words, ‘cut me some slack Dmitry. Once I con these annoying voters into reelecting me in November, I can do whatever I want.’” Cox then warned the audience, “The stakes of this year’s election couldn’t be higher … Freedom is what’s at stake and it’s what we’ll lose if we fail. Let us cling to our firearms…with every fiber of our being.”

On April 14, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Cox stated, “Friends, I know why President [Barack] Obama pays so little attention to the law. He thinks he’s above the law … He seems to think he’s the king of all three branches. How’s that for arrogance, folks?” Later, Cox referred to a discussion President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he told Medvedev he would have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious foreign policy issues, such as missile defense, following the November 2012 elections. Cox quipped, “In other words, ‘cut me some slack Dmitry. Once I con these annoying voters into reelecting me in November, I can do whatever I want.’” Cox then warned the audience, “The stakes of this year’s election couldn’t be higher … Freedom is what’s at stake and it’s what we’ll lose if we fail. Let us cling to our firearms…with every fiber of our being.”

On April 30, 2011, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh, Cox “revisit[ed] some words from [his] political dictionary.” The first of those words was “jack-ass,” which Cox attributed to HBO talk show host Bill Maher, stating, “We will never stop fighting for the Second Amendment or the Constitution which also protects his First Amendment right to be a complete jack-ass.” The second was “hypocrite,” which Cox attributed to filmmaker Spike Lee, who had criticized the NRA for their violent rhetoric following the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords in Tuscon, Arizona. Cox noted that in May 1999 Lee stated that [Former NRA President] Charlton Heston should be shot. “It was Charlton Heston who opened up Hollywood so African Americans like you could become millionaires,” Cox said. “Instead of running your mouth, why don’t you just do the right thing and say, ‘Thank you Mr. Heston.”

Turning to the topic of the United Nations, Cox warned, “At the United Nations, freedom-hating governments are working to eliminate firearms ownership around the world and here at home. You’ve seen it on our southern border. Narco-terrorist violence is being exploited. Corrupt government officials and gun ban groups are using Mexico’s problems as an excuse to ban guns. And if that’s not bad enough, Mexico just announced they want to sue American gun companies. Their drugs and violence are flowing across the border into our country, but they’re suin’ us? If anything, we should be suin’ them.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the export of conventional weapons—leaving domestic laws regulating the possession of firearms untouched.

Cox went on: “But it’s not just attacks from abroad. Here at home, they’re worming their way into our children’s classrooms. Teaching that guns are evil, hunting is cruel, and the freedoms and traditions we cherish the most are wrong or outdated or to blame for all the world’s problems. You all know who’s funding it. Billionaire puppeteers like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and globalist banker George Soros. We all know they’re not goin’ away and neither’s their money. Folks, there’s a lot goin’ on, there’s a lot at stake, and we don’t have much time. So, I’ll say it without apology. We need your help. We need more members and we need more resources. Here’s why: President [Barack] Obama’s already launched his reelection effort. He kicked it off to get a lead on raisin’ money. They’re sayin’ he could be the first presidential candidate in history to spend more than a billion dollars … What do you lose if Barack Obama wins? Well, you tell me. What if he appoints just one more anti-gun justice to the U.S. Supreme Court and we go from one-vote victories to one-vote defeats for generations to come? What’s that cost? My friends, praying for the health of five Supreme Court justices is not a strategy you want to stake your freedom on. Because, once it’s lost, freedom can be almost impossible to reclaim.”

On April 30, 2011, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh, Cox “revisit[ed] some words from [his] political dictionary.” The first of those words was “jack-ass,” which Cox attributed to HBO talk show host Bill Maher, stating, “We will never stop fighting for the Second Amendment or the Constitution which also protects his First Amendment right to be a complete jack-ass.” The second was “hypocrite,” which Cox attributed to filmmaker Spike Lee, who had criticized the NRA for their violent rhetoric following the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords in Tuscon, Arizona. Cox noted that in May 1999 Lee stated that [Former NRA President] Charlton Heston should be shot. “It was Charlton Heston who opened up Hollywood so African Americans like you could become millionaires,” Cox said. “Instead of running your mouth, why don’t you just do the right thing and say, ‘Thank you Mr. Heston.”

Turning to the topic of the United Nations, Cox warned, “At the United Nations, freedom-hating governments are working to eliminate firearms ownership around the world and here at home. You’ve seen it on our southern border. Narco-terrorist violence is being exploited. Corrupt government officials and gun ban groups are using Mexico’s problems as an excuse to ban guns. And if that’s not bad enough, Mexico just announced they want to sue American gun companies. Their drugs and violence are flowing across the border into our country, but they’re suin’ us? If anything, we should be suin’ them.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the export of conventional weapons—leaving domestic laws regulating the possession of firearms untouched.

Cox went on: “But it’s not just attacks from abroad. Here at home, they’re worming their way into our children’s classrooms. Teaching that guns are evil, hunting is cruel, and the freedoms and traditions we cherish the most are wrong or outdated or to blame for all the world’s problems. You all know who’s funding it. Billionaire puppeteers like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and globalist banker George Soros. We all know they’re not goin’ away and neither’s their money. Folks, there’s a lot goin’ on, there’s a lot at stake, and we don’t have much time. So, I’ll say it without apology. We need your help. We need more members and we need more resources. Here’s why: President [Barack] Obama’s already launched his reelection effort. He kicked it off to get a lead on raisin’ money. They’re sayin’ he could be the first presidential candidate in history to spend more than a billion dollars … What do you lose if Barack Obama wins? Well, you tell me. What if he appoints just one more anti-gun justice to the U.S. Supreme Court and we go from one-vote victories to one-vote defeats for generations to come? What’s that cost? My friends, praying for the health of five Supreme Court justices is not a strategy you want to stake your freedom on. Because, once it’s lost, freedom can be almost impossible to reclaim.”

In the February 2011 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Cox accused “anti-gun groups” of a “secretive…assault on the Second Amendment through [administrative agencies],” stating, “anti-gun forces will use any means at their disposal, no matter how undemocratic, to undermine the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.” Cox made reference to Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ “Blueprint for Federal Action,” a document which calls for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to promulgate or clarify certain regulations, including a regulation to require firearm manufacturers, distributors and dealers to report thefts of their products as soon as they are made aware of them; a regulation requiring gun manufacturers to put a second, hidden, serial number on every newly manufactured gun, and; a regulation requiring domestic manufacturers to use a standardized system for numbering firearms. Legislation that creates an administrative agency often authorizes the agency to promulgate rules through notice-and-comment rulemaking. The agency may also interpret the provisions of the legislation that created it, if the legislation is ambiguous and the agency interpretation is reasonable.

On May 15, 2010 in a speech at the NRA Convention in Charlotte, Cox asked the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, did you ever have the memory of some event in your life sneak up on you out of nowhere, smack you in the face and make you cringe with regret because you wish you had done something different? Now, I’m not talking about college indiscretions. I’m talking about Election Day 2008 [when President Barack Obama was elected president]. I bet a lot of people look back on that day and wish they could turn back the clock.” He continued, stating, “Every pro-gun leader you elect and anti-gun politician you defeat means fewer bad laws and more good laws. Good laws that make us all safer and prove that we're right, the gun-haters are wrong, and they need to keep their hands off our safety and our freedom ... That’s important, because every time we reduce fees, extend the length of your permit, or expand where you can carry can mean the difference between life and death. Self-defense reform is real health care reform.” He warned, “Look at what these politicians are doing. To pay for things we didn't ask for, can't afford, and don't need...they're scrapping things we can't live without ... When all this hits the fan and the politicians want cheap, easy answers, guess whose guns they're gonna come after? Yours and mine.”

On May 15, 2010 in a speech at the NRA Convention in Charlotte, Cox asked the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, did you ever have the memory of some event in your life sneak up on you out of nowhere, smack you in the face and make you cringe with regret because you wish you had done something different? Now, I’m not talking about college indiscretions. I’m talking about Election Day 2008 [when President Barack Obama was elected president]. I bet a lot of people look back on that day and wish they could turn back the clock.” He continued, stating, “Every pro-gun leader you elect and anti-gun politician you defeat means fewer bad laws and more good laws. Good laws that make us all safer and prove that we're right, the gun-haters are wrong, and they need to keep their hands off our safety and our freedom ... That’s important, because every time we reduce fees, extend the length of your permit, or expand where you can carry can mean the difference between life and death. Self-defense reform is real health care reform.” He warned, “Look at what these politicians are doing. To pay for things we didn't ask for, can't afford, and don't need...they're scrapping things we can't live without ... When all this hits the fan and the politicians want cheap, easy answers, guess whose guns they're gonna come after? Yours and mine.”

On May 16, 2009, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Phoenix, Cox stated, “The sanctity of the Second Amendment, all of our rights, all of our freedom, is in your hands. Freedom calls you to her defense now more than ever before because she's under attack like never before.” This was because of the appointments/confirmations of Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief-of-Staff, Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General, and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Cox explained. “We all know what to expect from our opponents,” he said, “They exploit tragedies. But to be honest with you, I never thought they’d pick an international tragedy. And as you've seen— that's exactly what they're doing with Mexico ... It’s been estimated that 100,000 Mexican soldiers have deserted the military in recent years to go work for the cartels. This is Mexico's problem. But the media and anti-gun politicians want us to believe that one more American gun control law or some international agreement will turn these ruthless murderers into boy scouts. You have got to be kiddin' me! We need to find 'em, arrest em', and send em' with the rest of the terrorists to Guantanamo Bay. Oh yeah, I forgot, that would be too ‘cruel.’ We should welcome them with open arms into our neighborhoods.” Cox warned, “Friends, these threats are real. Americans are concerned, and they're buyin' guns. So let’s give credit where credit’s due: In these tough times, the Obama administration deserves credit for the only part of the economy that’s goin’ strong—gun sales.” Finally, Cox told a story that “sums up the sorry state of affairs in [Washington,] D.C.”: “It’s 2006. Melroy Cort [an Iraq War veteran who had both legs amputated] and his wife are driving from their home in Ohio to Maryland. They drive through Washington, D.C. to get there. Melroy has a valid Ohio [concealed handgun] permit and he's carrying his 9mm in the car for protection. While driving through D.C., they get a flat tire, and pull over to fix it. Concerned, he takes his gun from the car and puts it in his jacket. Someone sees it happen and dials 911. Within minutes, the police show up and arrest him ... Now let me tell you a little something about D.C. If neighbors call 911 about some crack deal in progress there’s a 50/50 chance they’ll even send someone. But when a Marine Corporal –confined to a wheelchair because of his service to our country—strays into D.C. with his legally owned firearm they can’t put him in jail fast enough. And that’s our nation’s capital for ya. If you’re a gun owner, they put you in jail. But if you’re Mayor, and get caught smoking crack, they put you on the City Council.” The latter reference was to former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, who went on to serve on the D.C. City Council.

On May 16, 2009, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Phoenix, Cox stated, “The sanctity of the Second Amendment, all of our rights, all of our freedom, is in your hands. Freedom calls you to her defense now more than ever before because she's under attack like never before.” This was because of the appointments/confirmations of Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief-of-Staff, Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General, and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Cox explained. “We all know what to expect from our opponents,” he said, “They exploit tragedies. But to be honest with you, I never thought they’d pick an international tragedy. And as you've seen— that's exactly what they're doing with Mexico ... It’s been estimated that 100,000 Mexican soldiers have deserted the military in recent years to go work for the cartels. This is Mexico's problem. But the media and anti-gun politicians want us to believe that one more American gun control law or some international agreement will turn these ruthless murderers into boy scouts. You have got to be kiddin' me! We need to find 'em, arrest em', and send em' with the rest of the terrorists to Guantanamo Bay. Oh yeah, I forgot, that would be too ‘cruel.’ We should welcome them with open arms into our neighborhoods.” Cox warned, “Friends, these threats are real. Americans are concerned, and they're buyin' guns. So let’s give credit where credit’s due: In these tough times, the Obama administration deserves credit for the only part of the economy that’s goin’ strong—gun sales.” Finally, Cox told a story that “sums up the sorry state of affairs in [Washington,] D.C.”: “It’s 2006. Melroy Cort [an Iraq War veteran who had both legs amputated] and his wife are driving from their home in Ohio to Maryland. They drive through Washington, D.C. to get there. Melroy has a valid Ohio [concealed handgun] permit and he's carrying his 9mm in the car for protection. While driving through D.C., they get a flat tire, and pull over to fix it. Concerned, he takes his gun from the car and puts it in his jacket. Someone sees it happen and dials 911. Within minutes, the police show up and arrest him ... Now let me tell you a little something about D.C. If neighbors call 911 about some crack deal in progress there’s a 50/50 chance they’ll even send someone. But when a Marine Corporal –confined to a wheelchair because of his service to our country—strays into D.C. with his legally owned firearm they can’t put him in jail fast enough. And that’s our nation’s capital for ya. If you’re a gun owner, they put you in jail. But if you’re Mayor, and get caught smoking crack, they put you on the City Council.” The latter reference was to former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, who went on to serve on the D.C. City Council.

At the 2005 NRA Convention in Houston, Cox remarked, “When anyone said [Democratic U.S. Senator] John Kerry was America’s favorite ‘son’—we helped them finish that sentence.” Cox told the audience, “You won’t believe [the ‘gun ban crowd’s] latest ploy. Now they say they need a list of every gun owner's personal information to cross-check for known terrorists buying guns! … We will never, never tolerate government lists of law-abiding gun owners. They can't confiscate your guns as long as they don't know who's got guns.”

At the 2005 NRA Convention in Houston, Cox remarked, “When anyone said [Democratic U.S. Senator] John Kerry was America’s favorite ‘son’—we helped them finish that sentence.” Cox told the audience, “You won’t believe [the ‘gun ban crowd’s] latest ploy. Now they say they need a list of every gun owner's personal information to cross-check for known terrorists buying guns! … We will never, never tolerate government lists of law-abiding gun owners. They can't confiscate your guns as long as they don't know who's got guns.”