California Ivory Ban, California lawmakers voted Wednesday to expand a ban on elephant ivory so it could no longer be bought or sold in the state regardless of when it was first imported.
The legislation removes an exemption that has allowed for ivory imported before 1977 to be exempt from state laws banning the product. The exemption made the current ban nearly unenforceable since it’s difficult to determine the age of ivory without carbon dating and DNA.
“We are on the verge of a major achievement,” said Peter LaFontaine, campaign officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “It’s days like this that make me hopeful for the future of these species. California has one of the bigger markets in the country, so California is a major domino to fall to restrict illegal sales.”
The Senate passed the bill 26-13. AB96 returns to the Assembly, where it previously passed 62-14, before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown.
If passed and signed by Brown, the expanded ban goes into effect July 1, 2016.
Under Fish, Wildlife
The Department of Fish and Wildlife would be charged with enforcing the restrictions under AB96, which was authored by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County).
“Ninety-six elephants are killed every day for their ivory — translating to 35,000 deaths each year,” Atkins said in a statement after the bill passed the Senate. “This species loss is unsustainable and African elephants are being poached at a higher rate than they are being born, which will result in their extinction.”
The ivory trade is particularly prevalent in San Francisco’s Chinatown and Los Angeles, as well as New York City. The material is often used for carved figurines.
An investigation by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that ivory from newly killed elephants was being treated with material that made it look older as a way to get around bans on new imports.
$10,000 fine
Under the California bill, the purchase or sale of elephant ivory or rhino horn would become a misdemeanor and subject to a $10,000 per violation fine. New York and New Jersey passed similar legislation last year to prohibit the ivory and rhino-horn trade.
“We are seeing a poaching crisis that has the potential to impact an entire species of elephants and rhinos,” Lara said in a statement. “We are one step closer to taking decisive action to prevent the harmful and illegal act of poaching to protect conservation efforts and help protect these delicate creatures.”
The bill exempts musical instruments with less than 20 percent ivory and antiques with less than 5 percent ivory.
Numerous artists who work with ivory opposed the bill, saying it would hurt their livelihood. The National Rifle Association also opposed the bill, saying gun collectors have firearms made with ivory features, such as ornamental inlays.
NRA’s argumentWhen they go to transfer the firearm that they inherited from their great-grandfather, they will have no ability at all to document where the ivory came from,” NRA lobbyist Ed Worley said in a June hearing on the bill. “So they're left in limbo.”
The legislation removes an exemption that has allowed for ivory imported before 1977 to be exempt from state laws banning the product. The exemption made the current ban nearly unenforceable since it’s difficult to determine the age of ivory without carbon dating and DNA.
“We are on the verge of a major achievement,” said Peter LaFontaine, campaign officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “It’s days like this that make me hopeful for the future of these species. California has one of the bigger markets in the country, so California is a major domino to fall to restrict illegal sales.”
The Senate passed the bill 26-13. AB96 returns to the Assembly, where it previously passed 62-14, before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown.
If passed and signed by Brown, the expanded ban goes into effect July 1, 2016.
Under Fish, Wildlife
The Department of Fish and Wildlife would be charged with enforcing the restrictions under AB96, which was authored by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County).
“Ninety-six elephants are killed every day for their ivory — translating to 35,000 deaths each year,” Atkins said in a statement after the bill passed the Senate. “This species loss is unsustainable and African elephants are being poached at a higher rate than they are being born, which will result in their extinction.”
The ivory trade is particularly prevalent in San Francisco’s Chinatown and Los Angeles, as well as New York City. The material is often used for carved figurines.
An investigation by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that ivory from newly killed elephants was being treated with material that made it look older as a way to get around bans on new imports.
$10,000 fine
Under the California bill, the purchase or sale of elephant ivory or rhino horn would become a misdemeanor and subject to a $10,000 per violation fine. New York and New Jersey passed similar legislation last year to prohibit the ivory and rhino-horn trade.
“We are seeing a poaching crisis that has the potential to impact an entire species of elephants and rhinos,” Lara said in a statement. “We are one step closer to taking decisive action to prevent the harmful and illegal act of poaching to protect conservation efforts and help protect these delicate creatures.”
The bill exempts musical instruments with less than 20 percent ivory and antiques with less than 5 percent ivory.
Numerous artists who work with ivory opposed the bill, saying it would hurt their livelihood. The National Rifle Association also opposed the bill, saying gun collectors have firearms made with ivory features, such as ornamental inlays.
NRA’s argumentWhen they go to transfer the firearm that they inherited from their great-grandfather, they will have no ability at all to document where the ivory came from,” NRA lobbyist Ed Worley said in a June hearing on the bill. “So they're left in limbo.”
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