Update of the ban on legal U.S. elephant ivory.

Mark Knapp

Mark Knapp

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Here's an update on the on ban of the use of legal elephant ivory in the U.S. as given to me by Sandy Brady of the Elephant Protection Association.

HI Mark!
We just sent out an up date, here is a synopsis-
All is quiet on the ivory ban front for now. The Republicans took over the Senate majority, and that is good for our side. Maybe something will move on the Senate bill now. It’s been a bit slow gaining momentum. As for the house bill I think we have 23 co- sponsors for it and that is good also. We are expecting to see more sign on as soon as they are back in session.
USFWS was planning on coming out with more changes to “use after import” and I think actually do away with 17.40, in Aug. (That is the part of the law that allows us to legally sell our pre-ban ivory.) BUT They have not posted those - or any- changes since early June. We take this to mean that they are reconsidering what those changes should be, most likely to the opposition we have been able to mount.
So for now it is a wait and see game, and in the meantime we ask everyone to not let down your guard, and keep contacting your senators and reps and ask them to support the bills. House 5250, and the senate bill S 2587.

What The Mid-Term Election Results Mean for the Ivory Ban
It's official - the Senate and the House of Representatives will no longer be controlled by different political parties in the next legislative session. Voters decided to repair a dysfunctional and unpopular Congress by giving the reins of leadership for both the House and the Senate to the same party. That means as an institution, Congress should be much more effective as an overseer of out-of-control administrative agencies.
This is great news! There are bills pending in both chambers that have bipartisan support to prevent USFWS from imposing a domestic ivory ban that would hurt innocent Americans without saving a single African elephant. Instead of fighting to a draw over partisan issues, the House and Senate should now be able to work together. In this environment, it is more important than ever to make sure your legislators know about these bills and support them by joining as co-sponsors. E-Mail Congress
While this is good news, we are not out of the woods yet.
First, there is a lame duck session between now and when the next legislative session begins in January. Because of holidays, there are not many working days for Congress to act. During that time, Congress will need to deal with important spending measures to keep the government open, and it is likely the Senate will be occupied with presidential appointments (judges, cabinet members, etc.) before control of the Senate changes in January.
 
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Second, the President has promised to change how the country deals with illegal immigrants through executive order or administrative action by the end of the year. If the President follows through, that will antagonize Congress and increase sensitivity to executive overreach. It also may mean the President will take a similar approach to other controversial issues like the ivory ban. If so, USFWS may become more aggressive with regulations putting politics ahead of science-based conservation.
Third, NGOs are not going to let go of this issue. They will continue to spread misinformation in Congress to confuse issues and push an animal rights agenda in spite of the harm it will cause to legitimate conservation efforts and people who own legal ivory. The only effective counter to this strategy is for you to set your members of Congress straight.
Tell them to co-sponsor these bills
Your support is making a difference! Please keep it up!

Sandy Brady


For some reason I (Mark) was having trouble putting everything in a single post, had to do it in two. I will be away from the computer for a few of days but will be able to talk about the issue more when I get back.
 
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too much political for this forum imo
 
too much political for this forum imo
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The Ivory ban is political, but also a very big deal for anyone who owns any custom knife with any type of ivory handle, not just elephant ivory.

I hope that might right to sell knives that I have purchased legally, with legal materials will not be taken away.
 
Unfortunately, the liberals have made the issue political, they should simply mind their own business and let other people enjoy their lives!

Jeff
 
Lorien said:
too much political for this forum imo
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jeffsaul said:
Unfortunately, the liberals have made the issue political, they should simply mind their own business and let other people enjoy their lives!

Jeff
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Hi Lorien, I am sorry that you find this too political, I did consider that some might find it that way, but to me it is just the facts with no name calling or the dragging of viewpoints through the mud. I suspect you have reported it for the consideration of the moderators. I hope they allow it for it's informational value.

Everyone will have to play nice in order for it to stay.

Jeff and others, please to not use inflammatory terms or this post will be removed. Jeff please consider editing your post. thanks, Mark
 
Mark Knapp said:
I suspect you have reported it for the consideration of the moderators. I hope they allow it for it's informational value.
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nope. I'm not the reporting type. Jeff's comment perfectly illustrates why I made the statement I did.
I think it would be easy enough to remove the partisan political statements while maintaining the thread's informational value.
 
Lorien said:
nope. I'm not the reporting type. Jeff's comment perfectly illustrates why I made the statement I did.
I think it would be easy enough to remove the partisan political statements while maintaining the thread's informational value.
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I do not object to the moderators removing anything they think is too political. I hope Jeff and others will not cause this thread to go off the deep end.

Sandy gave me permission to use her writings here, it is not for me to alter it. The moderators, however, are in the position to alter whatever they want, and I don't object to them doing so. As I said, I will be away from the computer shortly and will not be able pull anything for a few days.

I personally feel like there is no harm in being partisan as long people talk to each other respectfully. I leave it up to the moderators to judge.

Jeff, please change your post, say what you need to say without inflammatory terms.
 
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it's all good, Mark- I'm definitely not stressed about it and I'm thankful for you taking the time to educate people on what's going on with stuff like this.
I just hate seeing best intentions hijacked by hijinx.
 
Thanks for the update information, Mark.

Lorien, a question which is not meant to be antagonistic……Do you happen to have dual citizenship???

Paul
 
No, Paul, I don't. I had the option to before I turned 18, but I opted against it. Why do you ask?
 
Many posts were dedicated to this previously and I personally appreciate the updated information and certainly hope this issue can be reversed to some extent, if not repealed altogether.

Paul.... :)
 
Mark Knapp said:
...to me it is just the facts with no name calling or the dragging of viewpoints through the mud.
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I think the comments in the first two posts, Mark, are much more factual than political. I can't imagine the comments need any moderation at all.
 
Lorien said:
No, Paul, I don't. I had the option to before I turned 18, but I opted against it. Why do you ask?
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I'm sure that Paul asks because this is an issue that affects custom knives and Americans.....you are not American, so it may not be in your interest to see this post.....but the majority of us that collect custom knives are American, and while I don't personally own any ivory handled knives due to stability and durability issues, it is an important issue to American custom knife makers and collectors.

Thusly, the topic belongs here, and not in Political, where it will most likely turn into the opposite that the discussion would here.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks, Mark, for posting the update. It is important for anyone who cares to keep this issue on the minds of our representatives regardless of party affiliation. We've got to continue being the "squeaky wheel" or we'll be steamrolled for sure.
 
Kohai999 said:
Thusly, the topic belongs here, and not in Political, where it will most likely turn into the opposite that the discussion would here.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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There are a great many issues that affect custom knife makers, enthusiasts, purveyors, investors, collectors- whether it be blade length restrictions, mechanisms, right to carry, edge configurations, etc.- the world over, from nation to nation, and from region to region.

These are almost always regulation related issues- regulations being laws, laws being the rules decided through a political process at any given time, and therefore viewed through a filter tinged by perspective.

Discussing bans is necessarily discussing politics, and I personally do not feel that it serves anyone's interest here to attempt to insulate the debate by leaning on this forum's bias. A bias which I do not share, and the discussion of which I do not desire. Not in this forum, which ought to strive, as it consistently has, toward the apolitical.

I think that threads of this nature, even if purely for informational reasons, are a threat to the integrity of this particular forum. A slippery slope. Those who need to know the context surrounding that which they lean toward, are more than capable to find it elsewhere on the internets- if they are capable enough to find it here.

If I were to be tasked with moderating this forum, this thread would have been moved immediately.

Sorry, but these are my thoughts, for better or worse, contrary that they may be.




I won't even comment on the nationality angle, except to say that I regard it as meaningless, given the context of my original point.
 
Originally posted by Lorien

Discussing bans is necessarily discussing politics, and I personally do not feel that it serves anyone's interest here to attempt to insulate the debate by leaning on this forum's bias. A bias which I do not share, and the discussion of which I do not desire. Not in this forum, which ought to strive, as it consistently has, toward the apolitical.

I think that threads of this nature, even if purely for informational reasons, are a threat to the integrity of this particular forum. A slippery slope. Those who need to know the context surrounding that which they lean toward, are more than capable to find it elsewhere on the internets- if they are capable enough to find it here.

If I were to be tasked with moderating this forum, this thread would have been moved immediately.
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Lorien,

You have the right to your opinions, as do we all. My opinion is that this is a very important subject and I want to thank Mark Knapp very much for keeping us all informed.

If you do not like the information in this thread, why don't you just choose to ignore the thread. That is what I do on any threads started by you.

Jim Treacy
 
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