New York Considers Banning Fur Sale

A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur is seeking to make its biggest statement yet in New York City, AP reported.

Lawmakers are pushing a measure that would ban the sale of all new fur products in the city where such garments were once common and style-setters including Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Joe Namath and Sean "Diddy" Combs have all rocked furs over the years.

A similar measure in the state Capitol in Albany would impose a statewide ban on the sale of any items made with farmed fur and ban the manufacture of products made from trapped fur.

Members of the fur industry say such bans could put 1,100 people out of a job in the city alone. Supporters dismiss that and emphasize that the wearing of fur is barbaric and inhumane.

The fate of the proposals could be decided in the coming months, though supporters acknowledge New York City's measure has a better chance of passage than the state legislation.

The fur trade is considered so important to New York's development that two beavers adorn the city's official seal, a reference to early Dutch and English settlers who traded in beaver pelts.

At the height of the fur business in the last century, New York City manufactured 80% of the fur coats made in the U.S, according to FUR NYC, a group representing 130 retailers and manufacturers in the city. The group says New York City remains the largest market for fur products in the country, with real fur still frequently used as trim on coats, jackets and other items.