West Hollywood becomes first US city to ban selling fur

Over the weekend the city of West Hollywood, Calif. implemented a law making it illegal to sell fur.

The law, passed by the city council two years ago, finally went into effect, making West Hollywood the first city in the United States to ban fur sales, according to CNN.

That ban covers shoes, hats and gloves that contain any fur. Wallets, handbags and leather good are exempt, and second-hand stores and pawn shops are still allowed to sell the items if they are used.

Violators will now be fined starting at $250.

In the past, the so-called "humane capital of the United States" has passed ordinances banning the declawing of cats and regulating how chickens are caged.

While some animal rights activists are happy, the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has complained it is unfair to the city's fashion businesses. 

“When I first heard about it, it was shocking,” shop owner David Klein told Al Jazeera America. "It's wrong to tell a business what to sell in your store, especially since it's certainly legal. If we had known about the fur ban, we would've never opened up in West Hollywood."

"This city is not in the business of curtailing business," John D’Amico, mayor pro tempore of West Hollywood, responded. "[But] someone who is disconnected with the goals of the city and has a rigid point of view [on fur] may have trouble.”