OK, say that around 1998, a gun company offered, as an option, genuine ivory grips. People bought guns with those grips, and the grips appear to be genuine ivory, or at least a natural product. The buyers did not get any documentation as to the source of the ivory, the date it was harvested or imported, or the nationality of the elephant.
Now it appears that those grips are illegal to sell, and that the gun would be illegal to sell unless the grips are removed.
This from the Forbes site:
"The Advisory Council recommended prohibition. In mid-February the administration issued its new plan, which was as close as possible to a total ban without being a total ban. (The new administration policy also applies to rhinoceros.) In practice, virtually every collector, dealer, auctioneer, and other person—who may simply have picked up or inherited some ivory—in America is banned from selling ivory items, even if acquired legally, owned for decades, and worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Indeed, the collective value of that property runs into the tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Every flea market, junk shop, estate sale, antique store, auction showroom, and antique show is at risk of raids, confiscations, and prosecutions. And not one additional elephant is likely to survive as a result.
As an administrative pronouncement, rather than legislative enactment, the rules could change. However, the guidance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicates that the federal government will target almost anyone attempting to buy or sell ivory of any sort.
First, no imports are allowed, not even antiques. Until now the latter could be brought to America with a CITES certificate. After all, no one is likely to mistake an early 18th century ivory chess set or beer stein as made of modern ivory. Nor does it matter in which country, say Britain or America, an old piece of ivory resides. Now U.S. collectors are cut off from the rest of the world, for no purpose."
So, no, the government is not going to break down doors and seize ivory grips or antique chess sets. But those guns, or any guns with ivory grips, cannot be sold, since no one can show absolute, incontrovertible proof that the grips on that Colt Paterson were not made from illegally imported ivory. And if reasonable proof is furnished, the government chooses whether to accept it or not. If it decides that the proof is not sufficent, the owner of that Paterson can be imprisoned and the grips and the gun will be destroyed. Must we now remove all ivory grips before selling such guns? It sure looks that way.
Jim
