[pianotech] Feds confiscating musical instrument materials

[John Formsma]

This was mentioned yesterday on a local talk radio show here in Mississippi.
The host made the observation that the Feds do little to stop the rampant
illegal border entry, yet will go nuts over piddly crap like what happened
at Gibson.

-- 
John Formsma, RPT
Blue Mountain, MS


On Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 11:49 AM, Rob & Helen Goodale
<rrg at unlv.nevada.edu>wrote:

> **
> Recently the Gibson Guitar Company was raided by federal agents asserting
> that the company has been using illegally obtained banned lumber from
> protected forests.  It also discusses ivory from piano keys being
> confiscated by agents.  A very interesting, (and scary) concern about how
> the government is, (likely), over-stepping their boundaries.  Even if it is
> from a piano built before ivory is banned you are at their *mercy* because
> you don’t have paperwork *proving* it is pre-ban ivory, (and how are you
> supposed to produce that?  A sales receipt from 1926?).  Failure to have
> such a document can not only result in the materials being confiscated, but
> also facing heavy fines and possibly even jail time.
>
> While the government has responsibilities to ensure that banned materials
> such as ivory do not enter the country, it seems like that authority should
> be limited to boarder agents and customs inspectors, not demanding proof of
> origin on a vintage piano.  As far as Gibson is concerned, they claim they
> have proof that all of their wood is legal and purchased from a "Forest
> Stewardship Council certified supplier".  The concern here doesn't appear to
> be whether or not possessing wood, ivory, or other materials is legal, but
> rather the laws being too broadly and not properly defined.  Possessing
> pre-band ivory and wood is not a crime, importing new material is the crime.
>
> Read here:
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904787404576530520471223268.html
>
>
>
>
>
> Rob Goodale, RPT
> Las Vegas, NV
>
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