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Ivory selling ban fails in IL Senate

An Illinois lawmaker wants to do more to stop the poaching of rhinos and elephants for their tusks.  Importing ivory into the U.S. is already illegal. Senator Linda Holmes wants to ban purchasing, bartering or intending to sell items made with ivory.

"We do have a federal ban, but state by state if you don't have a place to go to sell it, it does reduce the amount of poaching that's done."

In an attempt to appease opponents, such as the National Rifle Association, Holmes, a Democrat from Aurora, agreed to make an exception for antique weapons and antique musical instruments, like pianos. 

That wasn't enough.  Her measure failed to get approval from a legislative committee.  Holmes says she wants to keep working for a compromise.
 

Lisa Ryan is a graduate student in the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She previously worked at Indiana Public Radio and the college radio station founded by David Letterman. She is a 2014 broadcast journalism and political science graduate of Ball State University.