The fact that Los Angeles has been periodically catching fire lately may come as some comfort to its denizens since they generally don’t need to worry about staying warm. But if the temperatures do drop, residents won’t be able to stay warm with a fur coat. The city has made the move to ban the sale of furs because… PETA I suppose. So things should really be looking up for the Angelinos any time now! (NY Times)

Los Angeles is on track to become the largest city in the United States to ban the sale of fur clothing and accessories. On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously for the ban, directing the Los Angeles City Attorney to formulate a policy that would render fur sales illegal. The council expects that the city attorney will return with the requisite language in about a month. The ban will take effect two years from the day it is signed into law. Council member Bob Blumenfield, who introduced the motion, said: “This is L.A. taking a stand and saying we will no longer be complicit in the inhumane and vile fur trade that’s been going on for years.”

Los Angeles joins San Francisco and West Hollywood in banning the sale of furs. I’m sure they’re trying to “set an example” for the rest of the nation, but the fact remains that you can find any number of celebrities and industry people still wearing furs. Why? Because it’s not going to be illegal to wear furs. Only to sell them. This is a handly parallel to the towns which manage to drive out all of the gun shops via nuisance regulations. Just because you can’t purchase a firearm in a given town, as long as the Second Amendment hasn’t been repealed (yet) you can still own one.

So what’s the end result? You’ve managed to close down any businesses in your community who made their living (and employed workers) selling furs while inserting nothing more than a minor inconvenience in the path of anyone wishing to purchase a fur. All you’re really doing is driving the money and jobs out of the city.

Well done, Los Angeles! You’re really taught a lesson to all of those retail workers who will now be out of a job. That’ll teach them to try to stay employed in your city.