Update on Proposed Ban on the Domestic Sale of Ivory and Importation of Elephant Trophies

In recent Grassroots Alerts, we addressed the Obama Administration's proposal to ban the trade and sale of legally owned ivory within the United States (click here to see the initial alert).  The NRA supports efforts to stop poaching and the illegal trade of ivory.  However, banning lawfully-owned domestic ivory will have no impact on elephant poaching in Africa.  On the contrary, such a ban would affect only honest, law-abiding Americans by making their possessions valueless.  Please see this New York Times article highlighting the broad spectrum of people who will be harmed by the ban.  

In the most recent Grassroots Alert, we highlighted that the Obama Administration has begun a series of executive actions aimed at banning the sale and trade of ivory. In response to this overreach of authority, Representative Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) have introduced bills to protect firearms owners and sportsmen from a federal ban on the sale and trade of objects containing lawfully-imported elephant ivory.  Please contact your Representative and Senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 5052 and S. 2587.   

Also, on Wednesday, July 09, 2014, the U.S. House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee approved the FY15 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.  This bill contains a provision to protect legal ivory owners and will now head to the full U.S. House Appropriations Committee for approval next week. 

We ask again that you please call your Representative and Senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 5052 and S. 2587.

Your actions today may determine if the sale and trade of firearms that contain ivory, as well as the importation of sport-hunted elephants, will be banned.  The NRA is currently meeting with offices in the House and Senate, and we will continue to keep you informed as this issue progresses.

For more information on the proposed ivory ban, please read the NRA-ILA Ivory Ban Fact Sheet here.