NYC Could Ban Fur Sales Under Council Bill

NEW YORK — Some city lawmakers aren't faux about banning fur. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is pushing legislation that would ban businesses from selling fur and fine those that do.

The bill, set to be introduced Thursday, would prohibit merchants from selling "fur apparel" or even offering it for sale. Anyone caught breaking the rule would get slapped with a $500 fine for the first violation and up to $1,500 for each subsequent violations, the legislation says.

"As an animal lover, I truly think it is cruel to kill an animal for the sole purpose of people wearing a fur coat. There is really no need for this," Johnson, a Chelsea Democrat, said in a statement. "In a progressive city like ours, we need to take steps to protect animals."

The measure comes as state lawmakers consider Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal's bill to ban fur sales statewide starting in 2021.

New York City would become largest U.S. city to outlaw fur sales if Johnson's bill passes. The Big Apple would follow the lead of several California cities including San Francisco, Berkeley, West Hollywood and Los Angeles, where the City Council reportedly passed a ban just last month.

Johnson's bill would still allow New Yorkers to sell used fur clothing, as well as new products made from used fur items, the speaker's office says. But merchants could have to give up any fur they illegally put up for sale, according to the legislation. The measure would take effect 90 days after it officially becomes law.

It's not just politicians who are quitting fur. High-end designers such as Donatella Versace and Diane Von Furstenberg have said they would stop using the fuzzy stuff in their collections, according to Johnson.

The speaker's proposal to ban fur sales in one of the world's fashion capitals won praise from animal-rights activists.

"Finally the day has come that city council members see the handwriting on the wall as well," Priscilla Feral, president of the advocacy group Friends of Animals, said in a statement. "This is the first nail in the coffin of the NYC fur trade."

But fur merchants and industry advocates reportedly worry the bill could kill jobs — particularly in Johnson's Manhattan district, which is home to more than 100 fur businesses, according to the New York Post.

"Corey Johnson is introducing the fur ban?! I guess he wants to represents a district with empty storefronts," Steve Cowit of Cowit Furs & Madison Avenue Furst told the Post.