Paul W. Moog, Jr. of Virginia is the designated recipient of the CCRKBA Gun Rights Defender of the Month Award for February.
In nominating Moog for the Award, John Michael Snyder, CCRKBA Public Affairs Director, said “Paul is an energetic American who is determined to combat efforts to undermine the right of law-abiding individuals to keep and bear arms.
“As founder and executive director of the Northern Virginia Citizens Defense League, Paul has spearheaded the development of a local gun rights organization which is beginning to have a significant impact in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“His efforts serve as an example for others around the country who would like to do something in their own areas in the effort to preserve and promote the traditional right of law-abiding American citizens to keep and bear arms.”
Formed in 1994, the Northern Virginia Citizens Defense League (NVCDL) has about 200 members. It is a non-profit, all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the civil rights of all Virginians. The membership considers the right to keep and bear arms an essential civil right.
Since its founding, NVCDL
– has picketed a local sheriff’s gun buy-back program;
– been instrumental in reforming Virginia’s discriminatory concealed weapons law into a “shall issue” CCW permit system;
– forced Fairfax County to comply with the Virginia CCW law by eliminating the personal history form, the police interrogation of applicants, and the imposition of excessive fees;
– helped stall anti-gun legislative proposals in the last session of the state legislature;
– saw to it that Fairfax County Police revamped the Department’s “Firearms Safety Presentation;”
– distributed pro-self-defense literature at the Stand for Children Rally in Washington, D. C.;
– helped fund a lawsuit against Fairfax County for violation of a League member’s privacy during the CCW application process;
– engineered a change in Fairfax County’s hunting laws to exempt persons lawfully carrying firearms for personal safety from county hunting restrictions;
– developed a list of products which members should not buy because the products’ distributors evidenced aggressive anti-gun rights behavior; and
– produced and distributed “GUNS SAFE LIVES – 2.5 Millions Defensive Uses Each Year” bumper strips available for one dollar each from NVCDL, P. O. Box 821, Alexandria VA 22313.
NVCDL maintains a world wide web page and e-mail alert network to keep members and other interested parties informed of the latest developments in Virginia relating to the right to keep and bear arms. The web page may be visited at www.nvcdl.org. It contains information on
– legislative updates (federal and state);
– media alerts;
– links to firearms related sites;
– recommended reading; and
– exposes of anti-gun organizations.
Moog says that “when we started NVCDL in October of 1994 I would have scoffed at the notion that our little group of five activists would have expanded to over 200 members and supporters in less than two years. I would also have scoffed at the notion that we would be able to help reform Virginia’s discriminatory concealed weapons law in our first year of existence.
“Because of our efforts, bureaucrats and politicians routinely monitor our world-wide-web page in hopes of anticipating our next move.
“Our monthly meetings, newsletters, e-mail alerts, and phone tree assure that all members are kept informed of the latest issues regarding individual liberty.”
Born in 1961 in Pennsylvania, Paul grew up in the Washington, D. C. area, completed his schooling in Washington, D. C. public schools, was an electronic technician in the United States Navy from 1981 through 1988, now works as a computer analyst with the U. S. government and lives with his wife, Heidi, in Alexandria, Virginia.