I hadn't been following this story as closely as I'd like. What I find shameful is that there was little action on the part of Tennessee Congressional Representatives in either defense of Gibson or to fix the Lacey Act. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) co-sponsored the Amendment to the Lacey Act in 2008 that included wood in its wording. Government agencies then interpreted this as a violation due to a clerical error on the part of the company that imported the wood for Gibson. The larger issues here, for me, are the outrageous government response to what has been coined a 'civil matter' and the fact that neither can I find any action on the part of Congress to fix the Lacey Act nor any action on the part of Tennessee Congressmen on the part of Gibson. Gibson may very well have been on both sides of the fence, politically (smart business), but the result seems to have left then out in the cold.
I wait with bated breath the outing of this Special Edition guitar on a nationally-televised musical event. (color me 'blue')
The Retailers and Entertainers Lacey Implementation and Enforcement Fairness Act (RELIEF), H.R. 3210, introduced by Representative Jim Cooper (D, TN), after a campaign contribution from Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. I consulted with two members of the NAMM committee and was asked by Rep. Cooper's office to meet with his staffers on the issue.