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Whose Axe Made Your Guitar? You’d Better Find Out

With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raiding Gibson’s Tennessee factories again recently, This article is well worth a read, as it has consequences for any owner of a vintage wooden instrument.

The government alleges that Gibson imported woods in violation of the Lacey Act, a century-old law that makes it a federal crime to trade in plants, wildlife, or timber that have been harvested in violation of “any foreign law.”

While this seems simple enough, and the anti-poaching/conservation impulses behind the law are certainly commendable, the Lacey Act has become one of many federal statutes that create invisible minefields of federal regulations into which anyone can stumble unknowingly.

You can read the full article here

2 replies on “Whose Axe Made Your Guitar? You’d Better Find Out”

It should be noted that the article referenced is on the website of the Cato Institute, which is a libertarian thinktank founded with the sole purpose of gutting all regulations that could possibly get in the way of business. The Cato Institute advocates the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency, The Endangered Species Act, lobbies against laws that limit pollution or counteract global warming.

The Cato Institute has called for the repeal of the Lacey Act and all of its provisions, thereby legalizing any activity that other nations have put in place to prevent poaching of endangered species and minimize deforestation.

The tone of the article clearly represents these aims.

I love my Gibson guitars, but I want to be sure that my guitars are made in compliance with laws that protect the environment and the laborers who supply the raw materials.

Fair points Peter, but the same issues have been raised by many other websites and musicians forums too..Flyssy