Gibson Owners: Maybe You Won't Go To Jail After All.

SurferJoe46 · #1 10-20-2011, 03:43 PM

Tennessee Reps Prepare Bill to Protect
Guitar Owners After Gibson Raid

Quote:

Tennessee lawmakers alarmed over a recent federal raid on Gibson Guitar factories in their state plan to introduce a bill aimed at protecting instrument owners from being punished under the same law that snared the legendary company.

Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., on Thursday plan to introduce a proposal to amend the so-called Lacey Act. The expansive law makes it illegal to buy, sell or travel with certain wood products, and requires owners to carry specific documentation for others. The lawmakers say this threatens musicians, antique dealers and others who travel with products containing rare plant or wood materials.

BUT ---- there's a hook in the bait too:::::

The amendments would "grandfather" all instruments and furniture made before May 22, 2008, when the law was last updated to cover exotic woods, so owners of those products would not face prosecution.

"Innocent buyers of such products before 2008 should not be punished," a statement released by the lawmakers' office said.

Let's talk about buyers AFTER that date - huh?

Read more: Tennessee Reps Prepare Bill To Protect Guitar Owners After Gibson Raid | Fox News

hdracer · #2 10-20-2011, 03:46 PM

good thing mines a '06

drewfunk · #3 10-20-2011, 04:41 PM

Time to check the manufacture date on my SG....

**Ukiah Bass** · #4 10-21-2011, 11:39 AM

Pretty soon we'll need mobile databases to carry all papers required to prove this and that. I wonder what percentage of people who own 'forbidden fruit' can provide sufficient documentation to avoid trouble? Thank you lawmakers, I feel so much better now.....

boynamedsuse · #5 10-21-2011, 12:16 PM

So, will the market on used instruments get a little stronger?

Yerf Dog · #6 10-21-2011, 02:53 PM

2004 Gibson ES-335 Dot Re-Issue

2004 Gibson Les Paul Standard LE

2005 Gibson Blues King Electro

I'm good.

RexNFX79 · #7 10-21-2011, 02:55 PM

First of all, I don't see how this is remotely enforcable on the level of individual furniture or guitar owners, who would even enforce it. Don't these idiots in government have anything better to do?

**Staccato** · #8 10-21-2011, 02:59 PM

Let's see...

The buyer went to the guitar store in the past and bought a common, mass-produced electric bass with no express, or implied mention of exotic woods during the transaction.

Now, you're telling me that the buyer has something to worry about having bought that $300 new bass made during/after 2008, Huh?

Otter · #9 10-21-2011, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RexNFX79

First of all, I don't see how this is remotely enforcable on the level of individual furniture or guitar owners, who would even enforce it. Don't these idiots in government have anything better to do?

Agreed,

The two most likely scenarios are:

1. "The Al Capone", They didn't get him for racketeering, they got him on tax evasion, as in "this person is a real D-Bag, what can we get him on?"

and,

2. Hey we caught this person doing something heinous, what can we pile onto the charges to put them away for so long they never see the sun again!

No Malarky · #10 10-21-2011, 05:14 PM

UMMMM..............This is a bunch of Malarky.

Bredian · #11 10-21-2011, 06:10 PM

If they don't make changes to the current law as it reads, your old axe using woods that were legal when manufactured would become illegal to buy and sell, or at least import/export or as a travelling musician, take with you. Post 2008, it shouldn't be a problem as the manufacturers, INCLUDING Gibson, are assuring us all they complied.

The govt has now raided Gibson several times over 3 years without charges - the damage is done. No one would invest in a business subject to this idiocy. OF COURSE business will take their manufacturing overseas to avoid this.