(Clifford) Neal Knox was born in Rush Springs, Oklahoma in 1935, but spent much of his early life in Texas. He attended Abilene Christian College. He spent eight years in the Texas National Guard. In 1966, Knox became the founding editor of Gun Week newspaper. Several years later, he took over as editor of Handloader magazine and oversaw the creation of Rifle magazine. In 1978, Knox moved to Washington, D.C. where he served for four years as executive director of the Institute for Legislative Action, the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association. From 1984 to his death, Knox was the chairman of the Firearms Coalition, an organization that he created.