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From the
Desk of Neal Knox
Dear Friends, I’ve
always
made it a point to deliver the news to you straight – good or bad. Now I’m afraid I have some unpleasant
news. As you’re aware, I have been
fighting colon cancer for the past year. The
doctors tell me that my fight is almost over. I
believe
in miracles. I believe in God’s healing
power and eternal life through Jesus Christ. I
know it will take nothing short of a miracle for me to win this
battle. Should
that
miracle be granted, I will rejoice; but I rejoice nonetheless, for I’ve
been
blessed with a wonderful life, a great family, work that I love, and
many
wonderful friends. Most of all, I thank
God for my long-suffering wife Jay Janen who not only put up with me,
but has
actively supported my efforts for the Second Amendment for nearly
forty-nine
years. It’s been
a great run! I
had
always assumed that long life was my birthright. My
father passed away just this past fall at the age of
ninety-two. I
counted
on the same sort of life-span and was planning accordingly. We’ve barely settled into that house in the
country that I’ve been promising Jay for so long. I
started rebuilding her classic Mustang convertible and have it
in pieces in the basement garage. I’ve laid
out a 100- yard range next to the house, and was looking forward to
having my
dear friend Ken Oehler help me set up a ballistics lab in the basement. Time for
those projects was budgeted into the next generation of the Firearms
Coalition. The plan was to have sons,
Chris and Jeff take more prominent roles in the fight, freeing me up to
do
other things like shooting and writing books. Jeff
moved out here for that purpose over a year ago but my illness
sidetracked those plans. I
have long
wanted to evolve the Firearms Coalition into a resource for grassroots
activists and organizations. The goals
of the Coalition would be to provide activists with the resources,
training,
and technology they need to be more effective in the fight. Now,
I hope
you will help Jay and the boys as it looks like they will be taking on
this
important task without me. There
will
be more details in the weeks and months to come, including a new book
that Chris,
Jeff and I have been collaborating on. I regret
that I am unlikely to see it in print, but I am confident in
their ability to see it through. I
am
thankful for you and the many other friends that have blessed my life
making me
a truly wealthy man. There have been
disagreements, even fights, but the goal of freedom has been a unifying
force. I
ask your
prayers, both for me and for my family, especially for Jay who never
expected
to see me go first. I
urge you
to continue the fight. Continue your
support of the ongoing efforts of the Firearms Coalition and keep the
grass
roots growing. Thank
you
for keeping me in the fight for all these years. As always: Yours for the
Second Amendment, Neal
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Neal passed
away early this morning, January 17. He
was surrounded by our children and his brothers and went quickly
without pain. A memorial
service has been scheduled for Thursday, January 20, at the Manassas
Church of
Christ, 8110 Signal Hill Road in Manassas, Virginia. The
service will begin at 10:30 AM with a luncheon to follow. It was
Neal’s wish that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Firearms
Coalition or to Rainbow Children’s Home in Gainesville, VA.
Neal’s
condition deteriorated so rapidly that there wasn’t time to get the
above letter out before his death. He very
much wanted to let friends and supporters, know what was going on. We will post more information on the web
site, www.NealKnox.com. I can’t
tell you how much Neal has loved the difficult work to which he has
dedicated
his life. It has cost us much while at
the same time being extremely rewarding in so many ways.
The greatest reward has been the love and
friendship that we have found along the way. You’re an important part of that. Thank you
so much, Jay Janen Knox
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