Do Genuine Ivory Grips Need Paperwork for Legality?

[sentinel89]

Good morning,

I have a question about ivory grips for a nickel BDA .380. I have a chance to trade for one with what I was told were genuine ivory grips. I asked a local gunsmith about them and he stated that they needed paperwork for legality.

Even without the grips, I'm trading up (SP101 snubbie). The grips are nothing I'm crazy about, and would probably part with them after the trade.

Does anybody know if paperwork is actually required? Is it against the law to own, posess or sell these without paperwork? Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and cooperation.

 

[Japle]

I don't know, but I would sure check it out.

I remember when the Feds made possession of eagle feathers illegal because eagles were endangered. Suddenly, thousands of Indians and museums were felons for possessing ceremonial head gear.

 

[Old Fuff]

I don't believe that anyone in .gov is making an issue about the legality of ivory handgun stocks at the owner level. However makers of ivory products of all kinds need to have evidence that they purchased and/or imported legal tusks. In particular, it would be difficult, if not impossible to determine when the stocks were made if they were installed on a gun that pre-dated current regulations. Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it, but I would get a bill-of-sale showing the date you got them (by trade or purchase) and that they were used stocks at the time.

 

[Hawk]

No paperwork needed on African elephant ivory if it's already in the country.

http://www.boonetrading.com/Pg18.html

African Elephant On the C.I.T.E.S. Endangered Species List. Importing, buying, and selling of African elephant ivory is not allowed internationally. It cannot be imported into or exported out of the U.S. or practically any other country of the world. It is legal to own, buy, sell or ship within the United States and there are no permits or registration requirements (those were required for importation into the U.S.).

 

[Borch]

Suddenly, thousands of Indians and museums were felons for possessing ceremonial head gear.

This is wrong. Native Americans would have been exempt from this law as the feathers would have been owned prior to it's enactment and because they were used in a religious ceremonial capacity. Similar example is Dr. Timothy Leary's religion, they were allowed to use LSD legally in the 1970's because it was being used in a religious ceremonial capacity.

As far as museums go, the government is not going to waste it's time harassing all of the hundreds of museums that would have had eagle feathers at the time that eagles were named as endangered (including the United States Museum of Natural History in Washington DC). Not to mention that all of those feathers would also be exempt due being in posession prior to enactment of the law.

 

[Japle]

Borch, sorry to tell you, but I was living out west when this was going on. The feds did, in fact, arrest Indians who had owned eagle feather headdresses that their families had owned for decades. It was covered in the papers and the TV news.

The feds knew it was wrong, but there was no provision written into the law for exceptions. The law was changed, eventually.

 

[CWL]

You only need paperwork for newly-imported ivory.

Ivory that's already in the US is regularly-traded with little hassle.

If you don't like the ivory grips, sell them on eBay. Decent-quality ivory grips go for good money.

 

[Prince Yamato]

Ivory comes from three secondary sources (the primary source being the elephant of course).

1) Legal "new stock" from deceased elephants or elephants that are put down.
2) Legal "old stock", ivory that was harvested from before whatever the ban date was.
3) Illegal Stock, harvested from an elephant that was killed solely for its tusks.

So long as you are not the one who procured it alla action #3 (the poacher), you are fine.

 

[WardenWolf]

All those old pianos don't become illegal simply because they don't have paperwork. Neither will your grips.