Ivory Ban Meeting June 24: Act NOW!

Act now to contact members of a House Subcommittee hearing that will meet June 24 to help decide the fate of the sale of all items containing elephant and other ivories.

“This is our best chance to stop the ivory ban without mega-money lawsuits,” observed scrimshander Linda Karst Stone. Though Stone and others worked on BLADE Show auction knives that should bring a “decent amount of money” to fight the anti-ivory mania in Washington, D.C., she fears it will be nowhere near enough. “It does not feel like we have deep enough pockets to fight an expensive lawsuit,” which is what it will take if the ban is not stopped before it is fully enacted, she noted.

As a result, she encourages those who value their elephant ivory knives to contact their representatives who will be sitting on the June 24 House Subcommittee hearing.

“I caution everyone not to be too optimistic, but the oversight hearing of June 24 could put a stop to this if they think there is enough support and hear from enough of us,” Stone noted.

Those on the House Subcommittee are Chairman John Flemming (Louisiana); Don Young (Alaska); Rob Wittman (Virginia); Glenn “GT” Thompson (Pennsylvania); Jeff Duncan (South Carolina); Steve Southerland II (Florida); Bill  Flores (Texas); Jon Runyan (New Jersey); Vance McAllister (Louisiana); Bradley Byrne (Alabama); Doc Hastings (Washington); Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (North Mariana Islands); Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (American Samoa); Frank Pallone Jr. (New Jersey); Madeleine Z. Bordallo (Guam); Pedro Pierluisi (Puerto Rico); Carol Shea-Porter (New Hampshire); Alan Lowenthal (California); Joe Garcia (Florida); and Peter A. DeFazio (Oregon).

For the full subcommittee membership, complete with links to contact each member, visit http://naturalresources.house.gov/subcommittees/subcommittee/?SubcommitteeID=5063. The best strategy is to focus on  members with whom you have a connection, you are one of their constituents, you have a business in the official’s district, etc.