California is doing its best to Make Fur History following the signing of AB-44 into law on Saturday.
Assembly Bill No. 44, created by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), set out the ban and the amendments required from other legislation to make the sale of new fur products illegal as of January 1, 2023. This legislation follows the passage of another bill in September that prohibits commercial and recreational fur trapping in the state.
The prohibition on trapping in California was possibly in part due to the low volume of fur trapping in the state. According to the LA Times, “a total of 68 trappers reported killing 1,568 animals statewide in 2017.” There are 50,000 active trappers in Canada (inclusive of part-time trappers and Indigenous peoples; Fur.ca).
AB-44 will give retailers and trappers more than two years to sell any new furs still in their inventories, but the sale of used furs will still be allowed. According to The Mercury News manufacturers and retailers “will face fines of $500 to $1,000 for every new fur item they are caught with.”
The Fur-Bearers would like to congratulate all those who worked on this legislation and campaign and look forward to seeing more jurisdictions consider similar laws to protect fur-bearing animals in the wild and in captivity.
