Have You Heard of These Strange Laws?

Just about everyone knows that not every idea is a good idea. We’ve all had ideas that we thought were great at the time, but learned in retrospect that they really weren’t that great. It can surprise some people to learn that even state governments have bad ideas from time to time. Some of these bad ideas become laws, and others do not. Some of these bad laws, are still technically in effect today.

Here are some examples of bad laws from around the country:

• In Idaho, it is illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds.
• Also from Idaho, riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is a crime.
• In Rhode Island, any marriage where one of the person’s is a lunatic or an idiot is null and void.
• Montana made it illegal for married women to fish alone on Sundays, and for unmarried women to ever fish alone.
• Nudity is allowed in New Mexico, provided the genitals are covered on men, and the nipples are covered on women.

On top of these silly laws, there are some that are so bizarre that you would wonder how they ever became a law. What makes them weirder, is that multiple states have the same strange laws.

• Just about every state has some law limiting or outlawing sexual acts between couples, and/or the use adult toys.
• Several land locked states have made whaling illegal.
• Multiple states have laws against carrying ice cream cones in your back pocket.
• At least two states have laws about crossing the state line with a duck or chicken on your head.

Sometimes, bad ideas make it into laws, and unfortunately, those laws do not always get removed from the books. Thankfully, most police officers will not arrest people for these weird laws. This allows us to look through and laugh at all of the strange laws from around the country.