Official Luthiers Forum!

Many of you may be aware that there's a proposed new federal ban on buying or selling any African elephant ivory within the U.S., which will impact vintage instrument owners, collectors, dealers, and those who work on them. To keep things based in facts, here are links to statements from the White House and the USFWS regarding the ivory situation:

Feb. 11, 2014, White House announcement: http://wh.gov/lQOCs.

The above announcement includes a sub-link to the full text of the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking & Commercial Ban on Trade in Elephant Ivory: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default ... icking.pdf.

United States Fish And Wildlife Service (USFWS) Q&A on proposed new regulations: http://www.fws.gov/wildlife-trafficking ... swers.html.

USFWS http://www.fws.gov/international/travel ... swers.html.

The last Q&A also contains sub-headings for “Musicians and musical instrument manufacturers”: http://www.fws.gov/international/travel ... ers.html#7 and for “Antique Dealers”: http://www.fws.gov/international/travel ... ers.html#2.

Some states are also introducing proposed bans (which can be tougher than federal regulations but not less restrictive or in conflict), and it's almost certain that other states will be joining in. Here are the ones from New York and Hawaii:

New York: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=011 ... tory=56115.

Hawaii: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_i ... &year=2014.

Thanks for the update, Chuck.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

None of the fws links work. They come up url not found

Links don't work because automatic formatting shortened them here. But they do work if you right click on it and choose "Copy Shortcut", then paste the address into the search box.

Thanks for the links Chuck

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Here is the section on musical instruments:

Musicians and musical instrument manufacturers
How will the commercial and noncommercial use of musical instruments containing elephant ivory be affected?

Commercial import of musical instruments containing African elephant ivory will be prohibited.
Commercial export and sale in interstate commerce will be prohibited without an ESA permit.

Orchestras, professional musicians and similar entities will be allowed to import certain musical instruments containing African elephant ivory if the instruments qualify as pre-Convention and are not destined to be sold. Worked African elephant ivory imported as part of a musical instrument will continue to be allowed provided the worked ivory was legally acquired prior to February 26, 1976; the worked elephant ivory has not subsequently been transferred from one person to another person in pursuit of financial gain or profit; and the item is accompanied by a valid CITES musical instrument passport or CITES traveling exhibition certificate.

The import, export and sale in interstate commerce of non-antique specimens of other ESA-listed species continue to be prohibited without an ESA permit. Antique musical instruments made of endangered species that are already here in the United States may continue to be sold in interstate commerce without an ESA permit provided the seller can prove the specimen meets the definition of an antique under the ESA.

With finalization of the ”use-after-import” provisions in our CITES regulations, species listed in CITES Appendix I or in Appendix II with an annotation for noncommercial purposes (such as African and Asian elephant or sea turtle) may only be used for noncommercial purposes unless it can be proved that the specimen was imported prior to the restrictive listing.

Can ivory be imported to manufacture new musical instruments?
Our CITES regulations (50 CFR 23.55) place limits on how CITES Appendix-I and certain Appendix-II specimens may be used after import into the United States. The purpose is to prevent commercial use of specimens after import into the United States when only noncommercial trade is allowed under CITES. We are in the process of finalizing a proposed rule updating our CITES regulations, including amendments to the “use-after-import” provisions. Use after import of Appendix-I specimens is limited to noncommercial purposes except when a person can demonstrate that the specimens were imported before the species was listed in Appendix I, or they were imported under a pre-Convention certificate or other CITES exemption document. For further information, see our answers on antiques, personally owned items and musical instruments.

Retirement is starting to look even better now. . .

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Cheers,

Frank Ford

FRETS.COM
HomeShopTech
FRETS.NET

Here are new releases from the USFWS on the ivory bans.

The Feb. 25, 2014, USFWS Director’s Order 2010, showing how agents will enforce the standing 1989 ban and what exceptions are allowed: http://www.fws.gov/policy/do210.html.

The above Director’s Order 2010 includes a sub-link to its Appendix 1, “Guidance on the Antique Exception under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): http://www.fws.gov/policy/do210A1.pdf.

Pertaining to the upcoming total U.S. ban on all ivory, this YouTube link shows the public comment from Sandra Brady on March 20, 2014, to the President’s Advisory Committee on Wildlife Trafficking: http://youtu.be/8_so8ECg_zA. She is delivering a statement from fellow scrimshaw artist Linda Karst-Stone, explaining to the Council why past ivory bans have been ineffective and how this ban also will hurt innocent Americans without making an impact on elephant poaching. Brady quoted heavily from Dr. Dan Stiles, a noted expert on African elephants and on efforts to stop poaching in Africa.

Five videos of the full hearing can be accessed on the USFWS website at: http://www.fws.gov/international/adviso ... -2014.html.

Please feel free to repost the links and share these videos broadly. They show that the Council was warned about this Ivory Ban being far more likely to harm African Elephants than help them, while at the same time criminalizing innocent musicians, businesses, collectors, and anyone else who happens to own pre-ban ivory and needs to sell it for any purpose.

<Sigh> Welcome to the New World Order, aka the DFSA (Divided Fascist States of America.)


Oops, where my comment may seem to have gone "political", it is not. It is merely an observation of changing tides within the country and its legislative actions designed to strip away our inalienable rights, using seemingly pathetic arguments that merely give the appearance that somehow it will work toward the good of all. Outsiders, most humble apologies for sharing our insanity with you. And now I diminish back into the woodwork...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

The day is coming when the gov. will take our pay check and give us vouchers for what they think we should have.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Or they'll just plant microchips in us..

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Corporate already has...it's in the cell phone glued to your head.

Bob, that day is here... they are called "Federal Reserve Notes"

The size/growth of Government is indirectly proportional to freedom. Now I'm going to make a nice cup of tea to relax.

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Kurt Thomas

"There's a first time for everything even if you do it by mistake."

I'm new here and the talk of Elephant Ivory blows me away. I thought that was a thing of the past. I know elephants are still being poached and Rhino's killed for their horn. But honestly I didn't think it was possible to acquire ivory in the United States. I'll stick my head back in the sand. Sigh!!!


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