West Hollywood Bans Fur Sales.

West Hollywood is officially the first city in the country to ban the sale of fur. 

The West Hollywood City Council has voted unanimously to ban the sale of fur within city limits. Any store caught selling fur products after the ban is in place will be hit with a serious fine. The City Council will meet in two weeks to work out enforcement procedures and a ban start date.

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce intends to battle the ban, telling press, “We feel it’s unconstitutional.” The Chamber worries about the effect the ban may have on the local economy. Forty-seven percent of all clothing retailers in West Hollywood sell fur and 7 percent of those say they would move out of town if the ban passed.

Fur, especially in warm Southern California, doesn’t seem like a major customer draw. To top it off, a survey earlier this year found that nearly 95 percent of people “refuse” to wear real fur. It might be time for these folks to get into a different business altogether.

Banning the sale of fur sends a strong message to consumers that they should be concerned about how fur products are produced. Whether it hurts the economy or not, in the end, banning fur is right thing to do.