Court Takes Up Challenge to Ban on Ivory Trade in California

By Justin Stakes

USA -(AmmoLand.com)- The Ivory Education Institute asked a Superior Court judge at a hearing on June 3 to accept for trial a challenge to California’s new law that bans the sale of practically all privately owned ivory objects.

“We believe the case is not only ready for judicial review but that the law on its face is unconstitutional,” said Godfrey Harris, managing director of the Institute, a nonprofit organization that advocates for a better understanding of the artistic, historic, cultural and practical uses of ivory.

Assembly Bill 96 went into effect Jan. 1 and the IEI sued the State of California almost immediately. Soon thereafter, five animal welfare groups that were instrumental in having the new law written and passed joined with the State of California in defense of the lawsuit.

“However well-intentioned its supporters may be, the fact is that this ban will do nothing to save elephants in Africa from poachers,” Harris said. “There are no wild elephants in California, and no narwhals or walruses swimming in our waters. The gray whales offshore have no teeth, just baleen filters.”

“The proper place to address the poaching problem is in Africa via the …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand