[5] Cox attended The Baylor School for grades 10–12, and is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in History.

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. John S. Tanner [D-TN8, 1989–2010].

Though President George W. Bush had agreed to sign the ban into law if the amendment passed, Cox and the NRA-ILA lobbyists were successful, and the bill was voted down 8–90.

Cox was at the forefront of a media campaign to re-elect incumbent President Bush,[9] by utilizing the organization's grassroots technique.

After the Dec. 14, 2012 massacre of school children in Newtown, Connecticut, one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, Cox was reported to have recommended the NRA take a lower-key approach amid a wave of national outrage.

[4][11] On July 11, 2019, days after resigning from his NRA position, Cox launched a new consulting firm in Washington, DC with the aim of assisting clients with legislative, political and public image issues.