Effective immediately, Vicknair Restorations will no longer offer any Elephant ivory products such as bead sights, Colt SAA grips (or grips of any kind), inlays, etc. I will also not fit any products made of this material, regardless of who supplies it. I can provide bead sights made of wild boar tusk which is indistinguishable from actual ivory. The reason for this decision is that I do not wish to profit from or promote the use of Elephant ivory in any way. These animals are sentient beings and are ruthlessly slaughtered for their tusks, when they aren't being killed as a trophy to live out some Ernest Hemingway fantasy. They are an endangered species and it is unconscionable destroy them in order to use their ivory as mere decoration, especially with so many substitutes available. It matters not to me that your ivory grips, sights, whatever are from "legal pre-ban" ivory, an intelligent being died so that those products could be made. If this has a negative impact upon my business, then so be it. If you disagree, that's fine too but I'd suggest that you do a little research into Elephants so that your opinion will at least be an informed one. If you actually do some research you will learn that these are intelligent, self-aware creatures with a social structure and the ability to feel the same range of emotions as humans. If this offends anyone, in any way, I'm NOT sorry.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140818-elephants-africa-poaching-cites-census/
http://www.soselephants.org/about_elephants.html
http://www.bloodyivory.org/stop-the-ivory-trade
http://onlyelephantsneedivory.weebly.com/
This is where your ivory fill-in-the-blank came from. Enjoy it.
Dewey , I agree whole heartedly , Even as hunter I could never understand how anyone could do harm to any of these intelligent , emotional and loving creatures for any reason . KMG
ReplyDeleteI admire and applaud your stand. We have to draw the line in the sand if the elephants are to survive at all.
ReplyDelete"legal" ivory is just another form of poaching- sold from the stash confiscated from poachers who were caught.
Leakey had it right. Catch the poachers (they are the little fish hired by the Big Cheeze). Turn them into Rangers to give them a way to support their family. Burn the ivory. Destroy the market.
There are way too many good alternatives to ivory to justify using it any more.
Good luck!
Thanks for doing this. I feel the same about Lions and other top predators.
ReplyDelete