Rick Bowles
Absent Comrade
Virginia Strikes State Ivory Ban
Washington State Ivory Ban Needs Your Calls Now
Great News! - The Virginia Senate Committee for Courts of Justice voted 13-0 to strike the recently introduced Virginia State Ivory Ban bill, SB 1215, at the request of sponsor Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30). Ebbin made the request after an alliance of organizations opposed to the bill helped make it clear to the committee members that it was terribly problematic for honest, law-abiding Virginians, stealing millions in value from them, and that it would not save a single living elephant in Africa.
When allowed the opportunity to explain the facts involved and the reality of the illicit trade in elephant ivory, in which Americans have virtually no involvement whatsoever, we have a good chance of changing the minds of those who have been mislead by emotionally charged and politically motivated efforts to ban legal elephant ivory that's been in the country for decades and mammoth ivory that's 10,000 years old.
Your Calls Needed to Stop The Ivory Ban In Washington State
Legislators in Washington State have shown during recent committee hearings on SB 5241 and HB 1131 that they have an open mind about how unnecessarily harmful a state-level ivory ban would be. We all owe thanks to a timely heads-up from David Boone of Boone Trading Company and a lightning fast response from concerned citizens who own or trade items that have ivory in them and showed up for these hearings.
Washington legislators were informed that banning ivory at the state level, especially mammoth ivory, does nothing to stop African elephant poaching while it crushes honest Americans who own or trade items made with ivory. Such a ban also violates constitutionally protected due process rights and unlawfully strips people of property ownership without just compensation.
Now you need to reinforce this message. Call members of Washington's Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee and the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee to tell them why they should oppose the Washington State Ivory Ban. Be brief and tell them the following:
Banning legal ivory in the United States does nothing to stop Chinese smugglers from importing poached ivory from Africa.
Mammoths have been extinct for 10,000 years, so banning their ivory does nothing to stop African elephant poachers.
Don't waste Washington state resources on an ivory ban that hurts small businesses and taxpayers and does not save a single living elephant in Africa.
If you do pass legislation, make sure it conforms to federal law and does not take due process and property rights away from innocent Washingtonians.
NGOs and animal activists from all over the country are focusing efforts on this state. We need to show the legislators that law abiding Americans will not be rolled by activists spreading misinformation about illegal ivory in America and falsely blame legal American ivory owners for problems in China that fuel African elephant poaching. We ask you to call as many legislators as you can to get our message through.
Toll-Free Legislative Hotline:
1-800-562-6000
Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee:
Senator Kirk Pearson, Chair (R-39)
Email
(360) 786-7676
Senator Brian Dansel (R-7), Vice Chair
Email
(360) 786-7612
Senator Brian Hatfield (D-19)
Email
(360) 786-7636
Senator Maralyn Chase (D-32)
Email
(360) 786-7662
Senator Mike Hewitt (R-16)
Email
(360) 786-7630
Senator Rosemary McAuliffe (D-1)
Email
(360) 786-7600
Senator Judy Warnick (R-13)
Email
(360) 786-7624
Sponsors of SB 5241
Email Senator Joe Fain
Email Senator Jamie Pedersen
Email Senator Brian Hatfield
Email Senator Steve Litzow
Email Senator Christine Rolfes
Email Senator Carolyn Schaefer
House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee:
Representative Brian Blake, Chair (D-19)
Email
(360) 786-7870
Representative Kristine Lytton, Vice Chair (D-40)
Email
(360) 786-7800
Representative Vincent Buys (R-42)
Email
(360) 786-7854
Representative Tom Dent (R-13)
Email
(360) 786-7932
Representative Bruce Chandler (R-15)
Email
(360) 786-7960
Representative Hans Dunshee (D-44)
Email
(360) 786-7804
Representative Christopher Hurst (D-31)
Email
(360) 786-7866
Representative Joel Kretz (R-7)
Email
(360) 786-7988
Representative Ed Orcutt (R-20)
Email
(360) 786-7990
Representative Eric Pettigrew (D-37)
Email
(360) 786-7838
Representative Joe Schmick (R-9)
Email
(360) 786-7844
Representative Derek Stanford (D-1)
Email
(360) 786-7928
Representative Kevin Van De Wege (D-24)
Email
(360) 786-7916
Sponsors of HB 1131
Email Rep. Eric Pettigrew
Email Rep. Roger Goodman
Email Rep. Dick Muri
Email Rep. Brady Walkinshaw
Email Rep. Derek Stanford
Email Rep. Sam Hunt
Email Rep. Mia Gregerson
Email Rep. Sherry Appleton
Email Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon
Email Rep. Vincent Buys
Washington State Ivory Ban Needs Your Calls Now
Great News! - The Virginia Senate Committee for Courts of Justice voted 13-0 to strike the recently introduced Virginia State Ivory Ban bill, SB 1215, at the request of sponsor Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30). Ebbin made the request after an alliance of organizations opposed to the bill helped make it clear to the committee members that it was terribly problematic for honest, law-abiding Virginians, stealing millions in value from them, and that it would not save a single living elephant in Africa.
When allowed the opportunity to explain the facts involved and the reality of the illicit trade in elephant ivory, in which Americans have virtually no involvement whatsoever, we have a good chance of changing the minds of those who have been mislead by emotionally charged and politically motivated efforts to ban legal elephant ivory that's been in the country for decades and mammoth ivory that's 10,000 years old.
Your Calls Needed to Stop The Ivory Ban In Washington State
Legislators in Washington State have shown during recent committee hearings on SB 5241 and HB 1131 that they have an open mind about how unnecessarily harmful a state-level ivory ban would be. We all owe thanks to a timely heads-up from David Boone of Boone Trading Company and a lightning fast response from concerned citizens who own or trade items that have ivory in them and showed up for these hearings.
Washington legislators were informed that banning ivory at the state level, especially mammoth ivory, does nothing to stop African elephant poaching while it crushes honest Americans who own or trade items made with ivory. Such a ban also violates constitutionally protected due process rights and unlawfully strips people of property ownership without just compensation.
Now you need to reinforce this message. Call members of Washington's Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee and the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee to tell them why they should oppose the Washington State Ivory Ban. Be brief and tell them the following:
Banning legal ivory in the United States does nothing to stop Chinese smugglers from importing poached ivory from Africa.
Mammoths have been extinct for 10,000 years, so banning their ivory does nothing to stop African elephant poachers.
Don't waste Washington state resources on an ivory ban that hurts small businesses and taxpayers and does not save a single living elephant in Africa.
If you do pass legislation, make sure it conforms to federal law and does not take due process and property rights away from innocent Washingtonians.
NGOs and animal activists from all over the country are focusing efforts on this state. We need to show the legislators that law abiding Americans will not be rolled by activists spreading misinformation about illegal ivory in America and falsely blame legal American ivory owners for problems in China that fuel African elephant poaching. We ask you to call as many legislators as you can to get our message through.
Toll-Free Legislative Hotline:
1-800-562-6000
Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee:
Senator Kirk Pearson, Chair (R-39)
(360) 786-7676
Senator Brian Dansel (R-7), Vice Chair
(360) 786-7612
Senator Brian Hatfield (D-19)
(360) 786-7636
Senator Maralyn Chase (D-32)
(360) 786-7662
Senator Mike Hewitt (R-16)
(360) 786-7630
Senator Rosemary McAuliffe (D-1)
(360) 786-7600
Senator Judy Warnick (R-13)
(360) 786-7624
Sponsors of SB 5241
Email Senator Joe Fain
Email Senator Jamie Pedersen
Email Senator Brian Hatfield
Email Senator Steve Litzow
Email Senator Christine Rolfes
Email Senator Carolyn Schaefer
House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee:
Representative Brian Blake, Chair (D-19)
(360) 786-7870
Representative Kristine Lytton, Vice Chair (D-40)
(360) 786-7800
Representative Vincent Buys (R-42)
(360) 786-7854
Representative Tom Dent (R-13)
(360) 786-7932
Representative Bruce Chandler (R-15)
(360) 786-7960
Representative Hans Dunshee (D-44)
(360) 786-7804
Representative Christopher Hurst (D-31)
(360) 786-7866
Representative Joel Kretz (R-7)
(360) 786-7988
Representative Ed Orcutt (R-20)
(360) 786-7990
Representative Eric Pettigrew (D-37)
(360) 786-7838
Representative Joe Schmick (R-9)
(360) 786-7844
Representative Derek Stanford (D-1)
(360) 786-7928
Representative Kevin Van De Wege (D-24)
(360) 786-7916
Sponsors of HB 1131
Email Rep. Eric Pettigrew
Email Rep. Roger Goodman
Email Rep. Dick Muri
Email Rep. Brady Walkinshaw
Email Rep. Derek Stanford
Email Rep. Sam Hunt
Email Rep. Mia Gregerson
Email Rep. Sherry Appleton
Email Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon
Email Rep. Vincent Buys
