Announcement: Ivory Ban - The Presidential Advisory Committee plans to recommend a total ban

DakotaDocMartin

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I received this email from David Warther (4th generation ivory carver and supplier in Ohio). If Sam or the Moderators want it to go away... so be it. But, I think it's important enough that we band together and get the word out. Also, do as David suggests and write an email to try to get it all stopped. :mad:

Doc


***********************
Hello Everyone!

Ivory Ban - The Presidential Advisory Committee that met 12/16/13 does plan to recommend a total ban on ivory sales, within the US, to the task force on Wildlife Trafficking. If you want to oppose that action please email ACWT@FWS.GOV before December 28th when they file their report. I have attached a letter beneath my signature (below) that you can use by cutting and pasting but feel free to change it as may fit your interests and work.

This is not a ban on new ivory but rather a ban on the sale of ALL ivory that is in any form. This includes pre-ban and antique ivory in musical instruments, knives, guns, cues, etc. and will make Grandma's piano illegal to sell if it has ivory keys. This sounds ludicrous but it is true. If this passes then it will take the form of a bill that will be set before Congress in 2014.

Presently this ban on the sale of ivory is to include fossil mammoth ivory as well as pre-ban and antique elephant ivory.

Please forward this information to everyone you think may want to voice their opposition to this type of government control.

Sincerely ,

David Warther
2561 Crestview Dr. NW
Dover , Ohio 44622

www.guitarpartsandmore.com ( website )

Letter :

Dear Advisory Committee,

I stand against a total ban of all ivory sales in the US.

As called for in the Presidential Executive Order I ask that the recommendations continue to allow for "legal and legitimate commerceâ€￾.

The ivory market in the US is stable and /or declining, and the seizure records indicate that a high proportion of the seizures made were personal effects lacking the correct paperwork, not the “blood tusks “ spoken about in the media. The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) analysis indicated that the amount of ivory (by weight) seized annually has not increased in recent years. WE are not the consumers of the poached ivory. Therefore banning ivory sales within the US will do nothing to save the remaining world population of elephants.

CITES MIKE report (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) September 2013 report, page 64 analysis states "Africa's elephant populations are managed sustainably" and that in 2013 the quota for permits for legal elephants was 1350 animals. There is legal trade that can be monitored with DNA testing and permitting. Enforcing and policing a ban would use funds that should be used to support the ban on imports already in effect.

I fully support the CITES rules, closing international borders to elephant ivory trade, a law already in effect that should be fully supported and enforced. I stand against a total ban of all ivory commerce within our United States borders, a decision that would be an enforcement nightmare. Like prohibition it will cause a new wave of illicit commerce where a legitimate one now exists. Museums, antique dealers, collectors, artisans and individual citizens have invested in a legal and valuable material. Sanctioned trade in ivory that is legal (culled and pre-ban) and comes from unthreatened sources (mammoth, boar, warthog, antique and recycled products) can pose no possible threat to elephant herds in the wild.

I believe our mutual goals are the same and a solution can be reached. Please keep the focus where it belongs. To increase the elephant population the killing must be stopped in Africa and at its borders.

Respectfully Submitted,
 

atexascowboy2011

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Doc, I hate to say it but from what I have seen, if they are talking about a vote it's already too late. They'll just ram it down our throats. Plus, I wonder how this will effect the WH grand piano and all of the past gifts to our country from kings and other royalty. Hitler incarnated.
All our beautiful weapon's handles and sheaths will be basically worthless, bootleg ivory will fetch a fortune though. :mad:
 

DakotaDocMartin

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Let's try to get the word out but let's also not get too political or it'll go away. Having no trade at all in ivory will put a lot of people out of work not to mention destroy the collector's trade. Scrimshaw on plastic won't sell like it does on ivory. I still need to get a couple of knife scales cut to go on my bowie knife to match my SAA revolver grips. I just hope we can do our part to get the new proposed regulations and ban stopped.
 

KatherinePlumer

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PLEASE send emails to the address in Doc's first posting. Doc, thank you for posting this, I was actually just about to do the same but Mr. Warther's letter is a great addition. Please please please, if nothing else copy and paste that letter and email it! It's a huge understatement to say that this could be devastating.
Thank you.

Katherine
 

DakotaDocMartin

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I cannot find a single thing about this in the news. Where and when was this supposed to have been published?
Cliff

That's how these executive orders get done... under the radar. Obama created the task force by executive order in July 2013. It takes some searching but, there are a few articles that mention it here and there. Here is one: Obama Launches Anti-Poaching Task Force
 

scott99

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This is just all sad and aggravating. I guess I will end up carving soap soon.I watched a ton of ivory being burned on the tube, like I said sad.It will certainly affect my carvings dramatically. I don't think Elephants should be harvested for Ivory but what good does it do to burn antique Ivory?

Just all too sad.

scott99
 

DakotaDocMartin

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so David Warther is somehow privy to 'under the radar' information?
sorry, I know it's on the internet so it must be true...
Cliff

Nope, anyone with Google can easily find it. Here is the Executive Order on Whitehouse.gov: Executive Order -- Combating Wildlife Trafficking

Sec. 2. Establishment. There is established a Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking (Task Force), to be co-chaired by the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Interior, and the Attorney General (Co-Chairs), or their designees, who shall report to the President through the National Security Advisor. The Task Force shall develop and implement a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking in accordance with the objectives outlined in section 1 of this order, consistent with section 4 of this order.

Sec. 4. Functions. Consistent with the authorities and responsibilities of member agencies, the Task Force shall perform the following functions:

(a) not later than 180 days after the date of this order, produce a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking that shall include consideration of issues relating to combating trafficking and curbing consumer demand

Those 180 days are up and the recommendations are going to be presented very soon. We'd better act now or it will be too late.
 

Southtexas

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well, that exec order from months ago is one thing. Something from July is hardly earth shaking do something now news...
Claiming insider information as to what is GOING to happen is quite something else. I, for one, am not about to get all excited over the contents of an email claiming such, or anyone copy/pasting the contents of such a purported email. Otherwise I might have to react to the Nigerian Prince and a few dozen other emails from over the years.
Cliff
 

maplesm

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I talked to Boone Trading Co this afternoon. They Have been following this are concerned as that would close their business. They have made efforts to educate the government as to
who uses the illegal ivory - asian countrys for the most part.
 

Gargoyle

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Googling it I find nothing except some blogs and forums that all seem to refer back to David Warther.

N
(a) not later than 180 days after the date of this order, produce a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking that shall include consideration of issues relating to combating trafficking and curbing consumer demand

That just means that they will look at the issue and try to formulate a plan. It doesn't in any way indicate a plan to make selling my piano a federal crime.

But, as stated above, if we read it on the internet it must be true.
 

rod

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Fred,

I know that in retrospect you did not mean to post that insulting comment. You are a good hearted man, and like us all, you are allowed to slip .... once.

Best regards

Rod
 

Andrew Biggs

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Okay....it's a good topic because it affects quite a few of our forum members.

But please.......do not use this thread for political comment or to show your political colours.

If you do, then the thread will disappear....... It's that simple.

So keep calm and carry on. :)

Cheers
Andrew
 

Jahn Baker

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Back on track

Having spent much of the last 45 years creating adornments of mastodon Ivory,:cool: I'm very concerned. I've sent my letter and added thoughts of my own.

Those who raise their voices are the ones who get heard. Let's join together to support common sense. A total ban will only benefit the illegal traffickers in poached ivory by raising the price.:mad:
 

DakotaDocMartin

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Having spent much of the last 45 years creating adornments of mastodon Ivory,:cool: I'm very concerned. I've sent my letter and added thoughts of my own.

Those who raise their voices are the ones who get heard. Let's join together to support common sense. A total ban will only benefit the illegal traffickers in poached ivory by raising the price.:mad:

I don't see any reason they would ban mastodon ivory. As if it would affect their population any. :)
I agree. Speak up while you still can! Let's stop the total ban. Any time such a ban is put in place it just raises the price and creates black markets. If they cause the price of ivory to skyrocket it will only cause more elephants to be killed instead of less. Antique and pre-ban ivory is already here and doesn't cause more elephant slaughters. Crushing tons of ivory and destroying piles of the stuff by burning just increases the rarity and price.
 
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