California Fur Ban - Assembly Bill 44

Assembly Bill 44 (AB 44), would ban the sale of animal fur throughout the State of California. California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and so AB 44 is likely to have a ripple effect felt throughout the world.

Worldwide, over 100 million animals are abused and killed for their fur every year. Whether raised on fur farms or trapped from the wild, fur-bearing animals including: foxes, coyotes, wolves, bobcats, beavers, otters, dogs, cats, and raccoon dogs, have unimaginable cruelty inflicted upon them by the fur industry.

As consumers become more aware of how animals are violently abused and killed for their fur, they are seeking to buy clothing, shoes, and accessories that are as ethically produced as they are functional and stylish. That is why designers, retailers, cities, and countries around the world are joining together in banning the sale of fur and shutting down fur farms. In the past 18 months, Chanel, Phillip Lim, Jean Paul Gaultier, Coach, Burberry, Gucci, Michael Kors, Prada, and more, have all banned fur. Here in the US, the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco have recently banned the sale and manufacturing of fur, while cities and countries across Europe and Asia are doing the same.

It’s clear that fur is cruel and a relic of the past. Together, we can make California, the fifth largest economy in the world, fur free.

The Process

AB 44 passed through 8 major votes plus an Assembly Concurrence vote. It was then signed by Governor Newsom and became law in the state of California!

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FUR INDUSTRY FACTS

		West Hollywood, Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles have banned the sale of fur. A statewide fur ban could start a domino effect to end this abusive industry once and for all.
  	
      BRUTAL SLAUGHTER: Animals raised for fur are typically slaughtered by electrocution (anal, gential, or oral), which can be horrifically painful. In China, animals raised for fur have been documented being beaten to death, hung by wire, and even skinned alive. 
    
      NO LAWS: Not only are there no laws protecting animals raised for fur in China, but also there are no federal laws protecting animals raised for fur in the United States.
    
      TINY CAGES:When raised in filthy, crowded cages by the industry, wild animals such as mink, who love to roam large areas, often go insane and will self-mutilate or even kill their own babies. 
    
      DOG AND CAT FUR: In China, dogs and cats are raised for not only their flesh but their fur. Dog and cat fur is often mislabeled and sold in the United States. 
    
    	ONE BILLION RABBITS: An estimated one billion rabbits are killed every year for their fur according to the United Nations.
    
    	ONE HUNDRED MILLION MINK: The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) additionally estimates that 100 million mink, as well as tens of millions of foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas are killed for their fur.
    
    	POLLUTION: The fur industry pollutes our environment with millions of pounds of feces produced by American fur farms dumped into water systems, killing aquatic life and harming drinking water.
    
    	TOXIC CHEMICALS: Skins from animals are treated with toxic chemicals to keep them from rotting and decomposing. This process is so destructive that the fur industry is now ranked as one of the world’s 5 worst industries for toxic-metal pollution, according to the World Bank.
    
    	STEEL JAW TRAPS: Steel jaw traps, used to catch raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, and beavers, have been called inhumane by the American Veterinary Medical Association. They've been banned by the European Union and by a growing number of states in the United States.