Oregon Ivory Ban Bill Hearing Scheduled Tuesday, March 24, at 8:00 AM

[Mark Knapp]

Oregon knife collectors and makers, the Oregon ivory ban hearing is coming up if this is important to you and you want to testify contact Doug at Kniferights and help him help you.

You can also contact your legislators. See the letter from Doug below.

March 17, 2015: A hearing on an Oregon bill that would ban the sale or purchase of any ivory in the state, including 10,000-year-old mammoth ivory, SB 913, is scheduled for hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary on March 24th at 8:00 am.

This draconian legislation includes a ban on mammoth ivory, contains no commercial use exemptions for knives, firearms, musical instruments, antiques or other items and criminalizes "possesses with intent to sell," a phrase that is easily abused by prosecutors.

If you are an Oregon resident or travel or work in Oregon, we encourage you to attend and testify against this bill that will only serve to punish law-abiding citizens of Oregon and which won't save a single living elephant. If you cannot attend the hearing, please email or call the members of the Judiciary Committee. Click on "Read More>>>>" for a model letter and contacts for the committee members.

Knife Rights abhors the poaching of all species. The proven solution is to attack poaching at the source, not punish those who cannot have any effect on poaching. Successful anti-poaching programs have demonstrated that an integrated comprehensive approach that encourages the locals to fight poaching does work. This is the sort of solution that should be expanded and encouraged by the U.S. and by all who really want to end poaching.

Historically, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintained the position that virtually all ivory in the U.S. has been legally imported and, most importantly, that its sale in the U.S. did not materially contribute to the illegal ivory trade. Nevertheless, under SB 913, the purchase, sale, offering for sale, possessing with the intent to sell, or importing with the intent to sell of any ivory would be prohibited. Virtually any lawful item containing any amount of ivory would be rendered valueless.

This ban would irreparably harm owners of ivory-handled and fossil ivory-handled knives, firearms, many antiques, many musical instruments and any items containing ivory legally imported into this country decades ago by stripping their value - a taking of millions of dollars from law-abiding Oregonians.

The ban would criminalize legitimate business owners and cause immediate ruinous financial loss for them. It will cost the state millions of dollars in lost sales tax revenue and not save a single elephant.

This is "feel good - do bad" legislation at its worst!

If you are an Oregon resident or travel or work in Oregon, we encourage you to attend and testify against this bill that will only serve to punish law-abiding citizens of Oregon and which won't save a single living elephant. If you cannot attend the hearing, please email or call the members of the Judiciary Committee. A model letter and contacts for the committee members can be found below.


Click here for a model letter opposing SB 913

Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee:

Senator Floyd Prozanski (Chair)(District 4)
Email
Phone: 503-986-1704

Senator Jeff Kruse (Vice-Chair)(District 1)
Email
Phone: 503-986-1701

Senator Ginny Burdick (District 18)
Email
Phone: 503-986-1718

Senator Sara Gelser (District 8)
Email
Phone: 503-986-1708

Senator Kim Thatcher (District 13)
Email
Phone: 503-986-1713
- See more at: http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=324#sthash.WQhCvlkI.dpuf

 

[Ken H>]

Mark, do you think it would be effective at all for us from out of state to send a letter to the Oregon folks? It's just scary what they are trying to do.

Ken H>

 

[bronyblacksmith]

thank you for posting this Mark I have been trying to come up with a good letter to send to my representatives but everything I have thought of has not sounded very good.

 

[Mark Knapp]

Mark, do you think it would be effective at all for us from out of state to send a letter to the Oregon folks? It's just scary what they are trying to do.

Ken H>

I don't think it would help, they want to hear from constituents.

 

[Mark Knapp]

thank you for posting this Mark I have been trying to come up with a good letter to send to my representatives but everything I have thought of has not sounded very good.

You Bet, Let us know if you hear anything back.

 

[TX Scrim]

Mark, do you think it would be effective at all for us from out of state to send a letter to the Oregon folks? It's just scary what they are trying to do.

Ken H>

I did write letters to the list even though I live in Texas I have customers all over. If it gives anyone some ideas, the letter I sent is below;


I oppose the SB 913 Ban on ivories
Save the elephants... a grand cause. It gets complicated. The African wild elephants are all in Africa. With over 26 native range states almost every story can be honestly told. Some have corrupt governments that cannot even protect their school children and organize poaching operations. Others protect the herds with their very lives and have more animals than the natural habitat can maintain. The only way to save the elephants is to stop the poachers.
What I need to talk about is personal property rights; I am an American scrimshaw artist. I have earned my living for over 37 years by creating my art. I use legal ivory as my canvas. You do not need to like what I do and you do not need to buy it.
The United States stopped allowing elephant ivory to enter or leave our borders in 1998. True, some made it past our border inspectors so November 2013 our nation crushed its stockpile of 6 tons of confiscated ivory. That represents about 240 elephants in seventeen years. We all agree that even one poached animal is too many but it is not the highly mentioned 96 per day. At the reported black market value of $1,500 per pound it truly is 18 million tax payer dollars destroyed to send a message to poachers. I believe the message they got was that ivory is now more rare and valuable.
Since the international ban that includes all CITES nations what has been here has been bought, sold, resold, and taxes paid at every transaction. Ivory does not rot away and the truth is some elephants do die of natural causes. Antique piano keys can become bookmarks. Old billiard balls can become globes, trinkets to some but a legal living to me. In America you do not have the right or permission to use me to send a message to poachers who do not care if I cannot earn a living. Don't buy it but don't make it illegal.
A ban within the United States will create a black market where there is now legal commerce. Orchestras are full of musicians who have invested in their instrument and use it as their retirement when they stop playing. Many have small bits of ivory that would make it illegal to sell. Museums are full of ivory items that have been cherished by collectors of knives, chess sets, canes, jewelry, sacred religious items and more, all legally collected investments. Some say they cannot tell the difference between mammoth and elephant ivories. They could if they were trained, even a dog could smell the difference. I am sorry to say, a ban will not bring these extinct animals back.
Instead of wasting our limited resources checking our state borders for artists, antique dealer, musicians and collectors, let's do something that will make sense. Let’s reinforce our international borders. Let’s make the penalty for illegal trafficking in animal products much tougher and give the hardworking US Fish and Wildlife agents more money to investigate and prosecute large scale international criminals. Let’s support the African park Rangers that are on the ground protecting the wildlife. Let’s save the elephants without trampling on American property rights.
Thank you, Please Oppose SB913
Linda Karst Stone
American Scrimshaw Artist, Ivory Collector

 

[Ken H>]

I like that - with your permission I'll copy (reword some to reflect my use of ivory) and send to my legislature folks.

Ken H>

 

[A C Richards]

Mark,

Thank you for keeping us informed. I had no idea this was going down so soon. I sent emails to all on the list. I have been sitting on a bunch of ancient ivory waiting for that special project. I hope this can be quelled or I will be out thousands. But with the current climate in the legislature I am skeptical. Yes it helps for everyone to write whether you are form the state or not. A full email box with all the same subject line sends a message. Many times the email is not even opened. Please help out if possible.

 

[PeterB]

I make 1911 handgun grips and knife handles mainly out of ultrafancy woods, but also out of jade, tigereye, petrified tyranosaurus bone (now agate), and wooly mammoth ivory and teeth. I cannot perceive why somone would make an extinct animal product illegal, but then I am logical. These people are little different from the maniacs in the Middle East. These people now have a super majority in the Senate in Oregon and one short of a super majority in the House. The new governor has just replaced the crooked ex-governor whom with his girlfriend are both going to jail soon. The new governor is a self-confessed bisexual. She replaced the immediate ex-goveror (the crook), and he replaced Neil Goldschmidt who has admitted having sex with the 14 year old babysitter of his children. So, this is the type of scum with whom we must deal in this state. I don't have much hope for the rule of reason and logic to win in this case, but I shall try. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

 

[Mark Knapp]

I did write letters to the list even though I live in Texas I have customers all over. If it gives anyone some ideas, the letter I sent is below;


I oppose the SB 913 Ban on ivories
Save the elephants... a grand cause. It gets complicated. The African wild elephants are all in Africa. With over 26 native range states almost every story can be honestly told. Some have corrupt governments that cannot even protect their school children and organize poaching operations. Others protect the herds with their very lives and have more animals than the natural habitat can maintain. The only way to save the elephants is to stop the poachers.
What I need to talk about is personal property rights; I am an American scrimshaw artist. I have earned my living for over 37 years by creating my art. I use legal ivory as my canvas. You do not need to like what I do and you do not need to buy it.
The United States stopped allowing elephant ivory to enter or leave our borders in 1998. True, some made it past our border inspectors so November 2013 our nation crushed its stockpile of 6 tons of confiscated ivory. That represents about 240 elephants in seventeen years. We all agree that even one poached animal is too many but it is not the highly mentioned 96 per day. At the reported black market value of $1,500 per pound it truly is 18 million tax payer dollars destroyed to send a message to poachers. I believe the message they got was that ivory is now more rare and valuable.
Since the international ban that includes all CITES nations what has been here has been bought, sold, resold, and taxes paid at every transaction. Ivory does not rot away and the truth is some elephants do die of natural causes. Antique piano keys can become bookmarks. Old billiard balls can become globes, trinkets to some but a legal living to me. In America you do not have the right or permission to use me to send a message to poachers who do not care if I cannot earn a living. Don't buy it but don't make it illegal.
A ban within the United States will create a black market where there is now legal commerce. Orchestras are full of musicians who have invested in their instrument and use it as their retirement when they stop playing. Many have small bits of ivory that would make it illegal to sell. Museums are full of ivory items that have been cherished by collectors of knives, chess sets, canes, jewelry, sacred religious items and more, all legally collected investments. Some say they cannot tell the difference between mammoth and elephant ivories. They could if they were trained, even a dog could smell the difference. I am sorry to say, a ban will not bring these extinct animals back.
Instead of wasting our limited resources checking our state borders for artists, antique dealer, musicians and collectors, let's do something that will make sense. Let’s reinforce our international borders. Let’s make the penalty for illegal trafficking in animal products much tougher and give the hardworking US Fish and Wildlife agents more money to investigate and prosecute large scale international criminals. Let’s support the African park Rangers that are on the ground protecting the wildlife. Let’s save the elephants without trampling on American property rights.
Thank you, Please Oppose SB913
Linda Karst Stone
American Scrimshaw Artist, Ivory Collector

Good point, and good letter. Thanks

 

[Mark Knapp]

I make 1911 handgun grips and knife handles mainly out of ultrafancy woods, but also out of jade, tigereye, petrified tyranosaurus bone (now agate), and wooly mammoth ivory and teeth. I cannot perceive why somone would make an extinct animal product illegal, but then I am logical. These people are little different from the maniacs in the Middle East. These people now have a super majority in the Senate in Oregon and one short of a super majority in the House. The new governor has just replaced the crooked ex-governor whom with his girlfriend are both going to jail soon. The new governor is a self-confessed bisexual. She replaced the immediate ex-goveror (the crook), and he replaced Neil Goldschmidt who has admitted having sex with the 14 year old babysitter of his children. So, this is the type of scum with whom we must deal in this state. I don't have much hope for the rule of reason and logic to win in this case, but I shall try. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

WOW, just WOW