Federal effort could outlaw old ivory

Winston-Salem Journal ^ | May 29, 2014 | Terry Kovel/King Feature Syndicate

[Bratch]

An heirloom bronze elephant with ivory tusks, great-grandmother's piano with ivory keys, a vintage ivory chess set or an antique silver teapot with a small ivory inset in the handle to keep it cool may be "endangered" by proposed laws that could be in place sometime in June. Buying, selling or importing ivory from recently killed African elephants already is illegal and has been for about 25 years.

But an executive order issued by President Barack Obama would extend the ban to include all antique ivory harvested from elephants that died before 1914. There would be a law forbidding sales, even gifts to museums, of any ivory, including antique pieces. This affects antiques dealers and collectors, knife makers and collectors, Inuit craftsmen, owners of mahjong and chess sets, and manufacturers of musical instruments, including guitars and violins — the list could go on. And those in favor of strong endangered species laws want to also insist that all confiscated antique carved ivory art be destroyed — not even given to a museum.

Already thousands of pounds of ivory art objects have been destroyed. This will cause huge losses to companies, collectors and museums. Express your opinion in this controversy.

There's still time to contact your U.S. senator, representative or the Fish & Wildlife Service to make your thoughts known. For links to more detailed information, go to www.kovels.com/latest-news/new-ivory-ban.html.

[Bratch]

Formatted for message board reading.

Other than news that the music industry will probably be exempt, it's very difficult to find current information about this on the internet using Google.

I wonder why?

[Diogenesis]

Will the treasonous, selfserving
EXEMPT Congress EXEMPT itself, its staff,
its families, AND ALL MOSLEMS, again.

Count on it.

[fhayek]

I wonder if this will include mammoth ivory as well.

[CIB-173RDABN]

This has to be satire since the president does not have the authority write law.

Executive orders are directives to the management of the executive branch, nothing more.

If this president (or any president) had the authority to write any law they wanted we would no longer be a Republic, we would be a dictatorship.

(One caveat. if the original law allowed the regulatory body that oversees this law the authority to change the time limit for “old ivory”, then the president as the chief executive officer would be able to direct the head of that department (via an executive order) to change the time limit.)

[Vanders9]

Ivory fell out of favor as a material for jewellery and trinkets long ago in the west. It might be illegal to import the stuff, but nobody really wants it anyway. I mean its not as if there are hordes of illegal ivory traders risking life and limb to bring it in.

If you really wanted to stop the ivory trade, the best bet might be to completely legitimise it. The market would then be absolutely flooded with cheap, high quality stuff from the western world that people were trying to get rid of, and thereby do the poachers completely out of business. Problem solved. Do you think that will happen? Not a chance.

[moose07]

How exactly are they going to enforce this attempt at erasing cultural history.?
Door to Door inspections ?

[Rusty0604]

SWAT teams ready to enforce with no knock raids.

[Gay State Conservative]

....the president does not have the authority write law.

Says who? You?

[cripplecreek]

If there is stupidity to be found, its a pretty good bet that government is nearby.

A few years back a Michigan man was arrested for possession of his own legally hunted polar bear mount. He had gone to Canada legally bought a license from the natives and hunted the bear. He had it mounted and when he tried to bring it home he was turned back at the border so he snuck it across the St Mary’s river in the middle of the night. Somebody turned him in.

[Gay State Conservative]

Ivory fell out of favor as a material for jewelery and trinkets long ago in the west.

That's probably true but it's my understanding that it's still very *much* in demand in the Middle East and Far East.If I'm correct in that belief that argues strongly in favor of laws prohibiting the sale of "new" ivory.But "old" ivory is a different story,IMO.I believe that that is what our Community Organizer-In-Chief is addressing here.

[donhunt]

0bama is an f’n moron.

[gorush]

Alabama elephants have been hunted to extinction due to ivory hunters...The ivory was easier to harvest because in Alabama the Tuscaloosa. (sorry)

[cripplecreek]

Its been a long time since any great lakes whales have been spotted.

[Bratch]

And those in favor of strong endangered species laws want to also insist that all confiscated antique carved ivory art be destroyed — not even given to a museum.

Already thousands of pounds of ivory art objects have been destroyed. This will cause huge losses to companies, collectors and museums. Express your opinion in this controversy.

Used to, people that destroyed treasures were called barbarians.

[sauropod]

Thanks for posting this.

[Bratch]

Alabama elephants have been hunted to extinction due to ivory hunters...The ivory was easier to harvest because in Alabama the Tuscaloosa. (sorry)

[Conspiracy Guy]

Did you shoot an elephant in your pajamas? What was he doing in your pajamas?

[Gay State Conservative]

Stealing my material,eh? You'll be hearing from my lawyers at Hungadunga,Hungadunga,Hungadunga and Hungadunga.

[VeniVidiVici]

The Obama administration has now proven to be worse than the Nazis. At least they saved art. Democrats and liberals just want to destroy anything they don’t agree with and the hell with who it hurts.

[lastchance]

This order will mean increased poaching as it will mean the value of ivory will shoot up.