The New Jersey law bans all ivory from any species, including fossil ivory from mastodons and mammoths extinct for 10,000 years, and has no exceptions whatsoever. It will go into effect in six months, during which time anyone who owns antiques, musical instruments, guns, knives, canes, chess sets, art or anything else that contains even the smallest amount of ivory can liquidate it. And, we expect that “liquidate” will be the operative word, for those few who actually are paying attention. Once the law goes into effect, no one can sell ivory in New Jersey or “possess with the intent to sell,” an extremely vague phrase subject to abuse by authorities. Penalties include a fine of $1000 or double the value of the ivory for a first offense, and $5000 or double the value of the ivory for subsequent offenses. Which begs the question, if it’s illegal to sell, does it actually have any value?
Governor Christie, who has been touted as a potential Republican presidential candidate, should have stuck with those who really have the best interests of the elephants at heart and vetoed this absurd draconian ban and instead supported proven effective science and enforcement based approaches to eliminating poaching in Africa. In signing this bill, he’s demonstrated that he’s more interested in securing support from the radical extremists on the other side of the aisle than in preserving his constituents’ property rights.
Read Knife Rights’ original letter to Governor Christie here: www.KnifeRights.org/Gov_Christie_NJ_Ivory_Ban_06192014_Final.pdf
If anyone is inclined to let the Governor know how they feel about this travesty, his contacts are below.
Email Governor Christie at: Constituent.Relations@gov.state.nj.us
Call the Governor at: 609-292-6000
Knife Rights continues to fight the Federal Ivory Ban. Click here to read more about that.
In a move that caught just about everyone by surprise, the New Jersey legislature quietly passed S.2012/A.3128, a draconian total ivory ban bill with no exemptions for existing legal ivory and that even bans 10,000-year-old mammoth ivory. This poorly drafted bill even opens to door to outright confiscation of ivory-handled knives. Knife Rights has asked Gov. Christie to veto this irrational and very destructive bill. We need EVERYONE to WRITE or CALL the Governor TODAY and ask him to VETO S.2012/A.3128, the Ivory Ban Bill! Christie has presidential aspirations, so it’s not just New Jersey Residents who need to speak up.
Click on “Read More >>>>” for model letter/email, email address, phone and additional details.
The NJ Ivory Ban Bill outlaws all ivory from any animal (elephant, hippo, mammoth, narwhal, walrus, whale, etc.). It makes it illegal to to import, sell, offer for sale, purchase, barter or possess with intent to sell (a vague phrase subject to abusive interpretation) any ivory or ivory product with no exceptions for antique or heretofore legal ivory imported decades ago prior to the existing U.S. ban on ivory imports.
This ban would irreparably harm owners of ivory-handled and fossil ivory-handled knives, antiques, 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 New Jerseyans. The ban would criminalize legitimate business owners and job-creators and cause immediate ruinous financial loss.
Because Gov. Christie has presidential aspirations, he needs to hear from everyone, not just those from New Jersey. WRITE or CALL the Governor TODAY and ask him to VETO S.2012/A.3128.
N.J residents click here for a model letter to Gov. Christie.
Everyone else, click here for the model letter from those who are not N.J. residents.
Email Governor Christie at: Constituent.Relations@gov.state.nj.us
Call the Governor at: 609-292-6000
Read Knife Rights’ letter to Governor Christie here: www.KnifeRights.org/Gov_Christie_NJ_Ivory_Ban_06192014_Final.pdf