The Denver Fur Ban is a succinct title for a ballot measure. But opponents of the November initiative say its effects will be anything but simple, and they prefer to wrangle with specifics when they make their points.Initiated Ordinance 308 — which seeks to prohibit the manufacturing, sale, trade and display of select fur products — would have a raft of consequences that go beyond prohibiting retailers in the Mile High City from selling fox and raccoon fur coats, those opponents say.
The measure could even make it more difficult for people with Indigenous ancestry to purchase fur products that are part of their cultural heritage. That, despite a specific carveout in the proposed ordinance’s language that would allow members of federally recognized Native American tribes to purchase products for tribal, cultural and spiritual purposes, opponents say.“I think the exemption that whoever wrote was very specific and very narrow.