Laws are the basic existing elements of civilization that we know. Most American laws are based on fundamental beliefs and common sense. Nevertheless, some seem simply stupid, and many of them are completely overwhelming.
We have compiled a list of the strangest laws at local and state level. These are the ridiculous laws of the USA, operating today. They are 100% legitimate, although they have never been used in this century.
Missouri: Don't Carry Bears in the Backseat of a Car
The law states that all bears should be in a cage when they are inside a moving car. I really want to carry a bear in a car, and it doesn’t matter if it is in a cage or just sitting in the back seat.
But the most interesting thing is that this law is contrary to another law, which says that it is forbidden to drive a car while there is an unweighted bear inside it. The real crime is that there seems to be no backstory to this “priceless” law.
So many questions remained unanswered. As a result of what we read, we will try to understand these ridiculous laws of the United States and their history of origin:
- How many times did someone travel with a bear in the back seat before officials decided to draft a bill about it?
- How could the governor explain the real importance of this road safety law when he promulgated it?
- Why is it still legal to have a bear inside a parked car?
Perhaps the adoption of this law dates back to the distant times when people fought for the right to bear arms. Then people pointed out that in order to defend themselves from bears, it is necessary to carry hunting rifles around the city. As a result of this, the bill was passed, which forbade the bears to "ride" in the back seat of a car without cages.
We continue to consider the ridiculous laws of the United States in different states. And the next in line is the law on frogs.
California: don't eat a frog that died on the run
This law states that it is illegal to eat a frog that died during a jumping competition.
Believe it or not, California hosts the annual Frog Jumping Championship. For more than eight decades, this kind of competition has been a state tradition.
Each year, frog "jockeys" compete to see whose frog jumps further. This law was adopted in 1950. One can imagine that when there was no law, then "crowds" of people who wanted to wait for some frog to die during the competition, and threw themselves to eat it.
This law can be assigned the first place in the category "The most ridiculous laws of the United States."
Atheists banned
Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Maryland, Arkansas, South Carolina and Tennessee - atheists are forbidden to work in government offices here.
Federal law makes it clear that no state or local government can require candidates to pass a “religious test”. Legislators in these seven states basically say that recognizing high power is not a test. At the same time, they do not mind supporting atheists (who may be eligible to vote).
The most interesting and incomprehensible is how you can come up with such ridiculous US laws in the states? It turns out that the administration of these seven states was going specifically for the adoption of this bill?
Since atheists do not represent any religion, southern government officials argue that they do not “possess” freedom of religion — a fundamental human right. They base all these demands on the traditional oath proclaimed by mayors, governors and senators when they take office. In fact, everyone knows that the oath in the Bible and “accountability” is a symbolic gesture.
You better believe in God if you want to run for public office or at least apply for it. No religious test or church qualification is required, and you cannot be removed from office due to your religious feelings. But you need to "recognize the existence of the Supreme Being."
State of Georgia: Chickens, Don't Go Alone
And the funniest laws in the USA have already gone, because it is unclear who will be fined as a result: chickens or the owner of chickens.
In the town of Quitman, Georgia, it is illegal to allow chickens to roam the streets freely. Of course, it makes sense to introduce this law in a rural town. But why not include all the livestock?
Arizona: cacti are people too
The maximum prison term for circumcision of a cactus that grows on the borders of Arizona is 25 years - this is the same as the punishment for killing.
Environmental protection is great, but it's probably not as important as protecting people's lives. Cacti are not endangered plants in Arizona.
Where this law came from is not known for certain, probably a long time ago in Arizona there was a catastrophic decrease in the number of cacti, in connection with which this law was invented.
State of Georgia: Fried Chicken with a Fork Illegal
In 1961, the Gainesville City Council passed a bill stating that anyone who gets caught eating chicken with a knife and fork will be detained and fined. According to official statements, fried chicken is a "delicacy" sacred to this municipality, county, state, Southland and republic.
Therefore, eating chicken should be done only by hand, all cutlery should not be used for eating.
In 2009, 91-year-old Gini Dietrick was almost arrested for cutting a "sacred delicacy" with a knife.
Colorado State: No Weather Play
Under the laws of this state, in America you must obtain permission to change the weather. In some states, it is legal to take actions that create changes in the composition or behavior of the atmosphere.
Modification of the weather is not only possible, but is actually a profitable business. Colorado ski resorts pay private companies to burn silver iodide on the mountainsides, thereby stimulating rainfall. The chemical material is transferred to the clouds and stimulates precipitation in the form of snow, which creates good soil for skiers.
The permission requirement should ensure that the earth is minimally damaged and is of maximum benefit to people.
State of Florida: Don't Rush Dwarfs
People who own bars, restaurants, and other places selling alcohol can be fined up to $ 1, 000 if they participate or allow any dwarf throw contest.
Florida outlawed the throwing of small people (dwarfs) in 1989 after this activity in bars was discovered in the southern parts of the state. Florida lawmakers tried to repeal the law in 2011, but the procedure was unsuccessful.
There are other ridiculous US laws in different states that say the following.
Keep your Florida elephants at bay because if you tie one to a parking meter, you will have to pay a fine the same amount as if the elephant was a vehicle. Elephants are also not allowed to plow the cotton fields of North Carolina.
In Kentucky, it is forbidden to paint ducklings blue and offer them for sale. Only here I really want this.
This law is interpreted as follows:
- no one should sell, exchange, offer, show or possess live chicks, ducklings, other birds or rabbits that have been painted;
- do not stain any chicks, ducklings, other birds or rabbits;
- not to sell, exchange, offer to sell or exchange or give out chicks, ducklings, other birds or rabbits under the age of two (2) months in any quantity less than six (6).
In Nevada, a camel cannot be transported on a highway.
Other hottest laws in the United States apply to mustache and food.
- In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in the church.
- A mustache is illegal in Indiana if the wearer loves to kiss other people.
- In Wisconsin, it is forbidden to use oil substitutes in prison.
- In Utah, it is illegal to NOT drink milk.
- In South Dakota, sleeping at a cheese factory is prohibited.
A generous act in Louisiana can have unpleasant consequences: you can be fined $ 500 for sending a pizza order to someone’s house without his knowledge, even if you made a mistake in the address. They wanted, for example, to send pizza to their beloved girlfriend or boyfriend, but they sent by mistake to a neighboring house.
In Alaska, it is illegal to wake a hibernating bear to take a photo, while in Arizona it is forbidden to keep a donkey next to you in the bathroom. Still, probably, in modern conditions it is forbidden to ride a horse while in Colorado.
Louisiana State: Don't Touch the Crocodile
You can be sentenced to ten years in prison for stealing an alligator.
Alligator theft is the misappropriation or seizure of an alligator, alligator skin or part of an alligator, dead or alive, belonging to another, or without the consent of another person to misappropriation or capture.
The one who commits the crime of stealing an alligator when his misappropriation or its value is five hundred dollars or more must be detained with or without hard labor for a term of not more than ten years or may be fined no more than three thousand dollars. Both cases are possible.
But only in this case one thing comes to mind: who needed to steal the alligator? There can only be two versions of the reason for adopting such a law:
- an alligator was stolen from the prosecutor of this state;
- in past years there was a general theft of alligators among the population.
Strange thing, all these ridiculous laws of the USA are written in English, but many people in America are also incomprehensible and funny.
Michigan Against Adultery
Since 1929, Michigan residents may be sentenced to four years in prison, plus a fine of $ 5, 000 for cheating on their spouse. In fact, the law continues to indicate that there should not be any love flirting between a married woman and an unmarried man (strange, the opposite is not indicated).
It is also a felony in Wisconsin and in Illinois, Alabama, Minnesota, and even New York. Unfaithful betrayal is a Virginia Class 4 offense. Of course, these days it is rarely prosecuted.
The most ridiculous laws of the USA: top 14
- It is appropriate that in the state of Colorado, where there are many craft breweries, it is illegal to ride horses while intoxicated.
- Of course, one of the most popular "crazy laws" in Florida is that it is forbidden to sing while swimming.
- Colorado law states that a man cannot marry his wife’s grandmother.
- A woman in a bathrobe is not allowed to drive in California.
- In Challis, Idaho, it is illegal to walk down the street with another man’s wife.
- Flirting with the opposite sex in Little Rock, Arkansas, anyone can go to jail for 30 days.
- A man is forbidden to kiss a woman while she sleeps in County Logan, Colorado.
- It is illegal for a firefighter to rescue a woman in a nightgown from a burning building in St. Louis, Missouri. If she wants to be saved, she must be fully dressed.
- In Hartford, Connecticut, men were forbidden to kiss their wives on Sundays.
- Under Florida law, anyone who takes a bath must wear clothes.
- In Arizona, a man can legally beat his wife once a month, but no more.
- In Massachusetts, a person can be fined up to $ 200 for denying the existence of God.
- Also in Massachusetts, state law prohibits exploding golf balls, although this could make watching golf much more interesting and fun.
- In Ohio, police are allowed to bite a dog if they are sure it will calm her.
Animal laws
In addition to all of these laws, there are ridiculous animal laws in the United States that in one way or another infringe on the rights of our smaller brothers:
- You cannot tie your dog to the roof of a car in Anchorage, Alaska.
- In Little Rock, Arkansas, dogs are not allowed to bark after 6pm. But how can one explain to the dog that when she barks after 6pm, she breaks the law?
- In Hartford, Connecticut, you are not allowed to educate dogs. That's why there dogs are left without education.
- In Halsburg, Illinois, no man can keep a stinky dog.
- And in North Brook, Illinois, dogs are prohibited by law from barking for more than 15 minutes. Only the restriction is not clear: it is per day, per week or per year.
- In Minnesota, cats are not allowed to run from dogs on telephone poles.
- In Oklahoma, dogs are not allowed to gather in groups of three or more. In this case, they must have a special permit signed by the mayor of the city.
In Madison, Wisconsin, dogs are not allowed to harass squirrels that are in a public park next to the administration.
