Stupid And/Or Weird Laws

[Yopaz]

There is a law in my town that you can't fish off a certain bridge while on a giraffe. Just that bridge though.

I'm not sure if you know how laws are made, but just in case I will explain it the way I understand I've heard it explained (can't guarantee it's true). If someone is sentenced for something (either by a fine or other means of punishment) and there's no law against it and this is all decided by the party with the better lawyer then that sentence will become a law to make for a quicker judgment if it were to happen again. that's why there are seemingly countless idiotic laws which can be really specific.

You're not allowed to take out marker pens in a public area,.

Being totally serious here.

Graffitti.

Still a bit overblown, but not totally insane.

I find it interesting that there are no more capital offences in Britain at all anymore, not even High Treason.

As for weird laws...

Topless female sellers of exotic tropical fish are legal in Liverpool.

And I heard a story I'm not totally sure of:

The reason that in Britain water tanks are required to be on the top floor of houses is because when the Napoleonic War was being fought they were worried that old Nappy would sail up the Thames and start another Great Fire in London. So water tanks on the top floor so when he cannonaded the houses no fires would start.

Topless female sellers... probably would keep any guys from noticing the fish they're buying is sickly or dead. They wouldn't pay much attention to the bloody thing.

It's hard to explain why you are carrying a bag of water with nothing else in it when you get home. I bought a fish, but I think it must have escaped on the way home?

 

[Jegsimmons]

Alabama has a law (along with 895 of our fucking amendments 750 of which we dont enforce!) that putting salt on a train track can get you, not 25, not life, but the death penalty.

though that actually makes a bit of sense.

 

[ph3195k9]

No one may cross the Boston Common without carrying a shotgun in case of bears.
Duels to the death permitted on the common on Sundays provided that the Governor is present.

Gotta love Boston...

 

[elderguard]

in south carolina, US, it is illegal to tell a girl you will marry her and then not

 

[II2]

"Punt Gunning" the operation of a punt gun, esp in the case of hunting, is illegal in the States.

A punt gun:

Now, there is some reason for that, since it would quickly escalate hunting waterfowl to extinction, but still, it's on the books. People would mount these on boats and quietly drift up on geese and fire a full pound of shot that would take out an entire flock at once.

Environmental concerns notwithstanding, it is also illegal under other legislation regarding acceptable bore sizes and being an unrecognized form of firearm / destructive device, depending on location.

 

[D-Soul]

Here's a dumb law in my homestate of South Carolina, USA

A person must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine.

and this is just mean.

Charleston
The Fire Department may blow up your house.

 

[krodux]

Here in Massachusetts it's illegal to put pants on a goat.

 

[lythande2002]

In Detroit MI it is illegal to tie an alligator to a fire hydrant.

Not sure on this one but in Hawaii its illegal to put penny's in your ear

 

[LordofSquirrels]

In Daytona Beach, Florida, you're not allowed to molest trash cans. >.> What in the name of god prompted THAT law?

Don't judge our love! D: Her sleek metal contours call to me they do. ._.

In Australia, in some states it's illegal to have a crossbow, unless you are doing historical re-enactments or making a movie, and they are trying to push this into the other states which only restrict them.

It's legal to own a semiautomatic centrefire hunting rifle (not easy to get a Category D licence, though, but people do), but not a crossbow.

Maybe Australia's government is full of vampires.

So apparently it is still legal in certain towns of England to shoot a Welshman or a Scotsman with a longbow or crossbow. However it can only be done within the city walls and after midnight. Although in Hereford it is illegal to shoot a Welshman in a cathedral on Sundays.

There must be a lot of highly religious Welshmen in Hereford. <_<;

It is illegal to die in the House of Commons. Also, every boy aged over 12 must practice 40 hours of archery a week (or something around that number, can't remember exactly).

I've noticed there are a lot of laws that seek to render death illegal... these must be veeery optimistic politicians.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

In my state, it's illegal to catch fish with your bare hands. Fuck you too, Kansas lawmakers.

It is illegal to cross a specific street at a specific block in my hometown with a beehive in your hat.

 

[Veylon]

Charleston
The Fire Department may blow up your house.

This one is actually perfectly sane. If there's a big fire that threatens the city, they need to create firebreaks to prevent from spreading. So they demolish rows of houses to create them. And the law exists to keep you from suing them.

 

[Dwarfman]

In Yorkshire, it is legal to shoot a Scotsman found inside the city walls of York on a sunday.

This does not auger well for me, as I'm Scottish, live near York, and regularly go there (in fact I used to work there).

So apparently it is still legal in certain towns of England to shoot a Welshman or a Scotsman with a longbow or crossbow. However it can only be done within the city walls and after midnight. Although in Hereford it is illegal to shoot a Welshman in a cathedral on Sundays.

What? So they... still have discrimination and... I don't know what to call it, extermination?

Extermination of a people (genocide) is still legal in some towns at a certain time? How? Why?

The law is just one of those things that no one bothered to get rid of yet in this day and age are so outdated and silly that no one takes them seriously any more.

A great example of this would be from a uni student from Oxford. In the middle of exams the young man called for ale and cakes. The teachers told him where to go however he proceeded to show them the law from the middle ages stating that students in exams are allowed to call for refreshment of ale and cakes. The teachers got the young man a happy meal - deeming that to be the modern day equivalent of ale and cakes - and then proceeded to fine the man 100 pounds for failing to bring his sword to the exams.

 

[dwp9296]

-New York: It is illegal to do anything against the law.

-Avignon,France: It is illegal for a flying saucer to land in the city.

-Paraguay: Duelling is legal as long as both people are registered blood donors.

-Athens, Greece: A driver's licence can be taken away if the driver is deemed either unbathed or poorly dressed.

-Fairbanks, Alaska: It is illegal to give a moose beer.

-Chicago, Illinois: A hatpin is considered a concealed weapon.

-Arizona: It is illegal to hunt camels.

 

[Ruedyn]

It is illegal to eat an orange while taking a bath here. Not sure what logic was put behind this.

Charleston
The Fire Department may blow up your house.

That sounds more like a warning... Or perhaps a promise?

 

[LordofSquirrels]

All right, I'm cheating because I looked these up, and I'm sorry if I repeat someone in a previous post, but there is officially enough activity in this thread to make it hard for me to keep track. So!


Evidentially, in Alabama, it is illegal to play dominoes on Sunday. Probably something to with God's wrath on he who matched up dot-covered tabs or something. It is also illegal to maim one's self to escape 'duty,' which I can only assume was mostly kept in mind during the drafts of Vietnam, considering how many did all they could to keep out of being conscripted. It's illegal to wear a mask in public, putting salt on a railroad track can be punishable by death, and you can't wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.

Oh, it's also illegal to keep an icecream in your back pocket. Sorry, Calvin. Men may not spit on the opposite sex, and in Jasper, men can't beat women with a stick 'larger than the diameter of their thumb,' thus suggesting a suitably thin stick, or thinner, is permitted. You can't sell peanuts after sundown in one region, and bear wrestling matches are prohibited.



Biggest thing? Incestuous marriage is LEGAL. xD

 

[Saulkar]

You cannot make a right turn at a red light after making a stop in Quebec. Not so for the rest of the country. So stupid.

 

[LordofSquirrels]

You cannot make a right turn at a red light after making a stop in Quebec. Not so for the rest of the country. So stupid.

Ooo, I remember that one; although the area I lived in, which did admittedly rest right on the border with a neighboring province, you were allowed to turn right. I'm not sure if the law was just removed in that area, or if it was a wider-spread area.