Stupid State Laws

PopsnTuff said:
Here's a good one from Virginia:

Bribes can only be made by officials.
There is actually a state law prohibiting “corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates …”

Virginians cannot spit on seagulls.

It’s illegal to tickle women. Please be a lover, not a tickler.

(Just a few of the other ridiculous laws here)
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If the corrupt practices of bribery by any person other than candidates were enforced, we would need to build more prisons, or better yet, hand out fines and pay off the national debt.
 

In Scotland.....
It is illegal for a child under 10 to see a naked mannequin.
It is illegal to fire a cannon within 300 yards of a residence to the annoyance the occupant.

It is also popularly believed that if a stranger asks, you must by law allow them to use the toilet. This is not actually law, but an old custom.

Note that in Scotland, a criminal case can have 3 outcomes. Guilty, not guilty and not proven. The last case is an acquittal when there is an assumption of guilt, but the prosecution cannot satisfactorily prove it. Scottish juries have 15 members selected randomly and the case is decided on a simple majority.
 
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Capt Lightning said:
In Scotland.....
It is illegal for a child under 10 to see a naked mannequin.
It is illegal to fire a cannon within 300 yards of a residence to the annoyance the occupant.

It is also popularly believed that if a stranger asks, you must by law allow them to use the toilet. This is not actually law, but an old custom.
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ROFLMAO!
 

Capt Lightning said:
In Scotland.....
It is illegal for a child under 10 to see a naked mannequin.
It is illegal to fire a cannon within 300 yards of a residence to the annoyance the occupant.

It is also popularly believed that if a stranger asks, you must by law allow them to use the toilet. This is not actually law, but an old custom.
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Yeah, especially if the cannonball hits your house.
 
911 said:
The real idiocy of at least some of these laws is that someone probably did the things mentioned and that’s why it became a law.

Back prior to the ‘70’s and maybe before that, it was illegal for stores to be open on Sundays, including grocery stores. It was also illegal to play football or baseball. They were called “Blue Laws.” They were named “Blue Laws” because originally, they were printed on blue paper.
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I never knew the origin of that term. Interesting.

In NY, every town/city had to have one pharmacy open on Sunday in case someone needed an emergency prescription. I was told pharmacies took turns re: which was open so all would have an equal chance.
Not sure when the Blue Laws changed, but they were in place when I was a child.
 
JaniceM said:
I never knew the origin of that term. Interesting.

In NY, every town/city had to have one pharmacy open on Sunday in case someone needed an emergency prescription. I was told pharmacies took turns re: which was open so all would have an equal chance.
Not sure when the Blue Laws changed, but they were in place when I was a child.
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I remember the same regarding pharmacies taking turns being open on Sunday's, Janice.
 
In England, currently large shops can only open for a max. of 6 hours on Sunday.

Scotland has never had Sunday trading restrictions, but traditionally didn't open on Sunday because of church influence.
Now large shops in Scotland can open all day on Sunday, but employees cannot be made to work on Sundays, and you can't buy alcohol before 10 am.
 
UK

It is illegal under the terms of the Prohibition and Inspections Act of 1998 to cause a nuclear explosion. Why it had to be a special law, though, is a mystery.
but it was presumably legal before 1998 :eek:
 
More in a Pennsylvania:

It is illegal to use dynamite to fish. (Darn it.)
It is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outside.
Ministers are forbidden to perform a marriage if either the bride or groom is drunk.
It is illegal to sweep dirt under a rug. (Too late.)
 
JaniceM said:
I'm not from my current location, but the most idiotic law they have and even enforce: individuals who sell illegal drugs must buy "drug tax stamps."
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That makes a separate solid criminal charge. As many charges they can tack on when you sell drugs the better. Here they are probably talking about Bulk amounts.
 
Judycat said:
Reading through these, one can surmise that these laws came about when important people became injured, incurred property damage or were otherwise annoyed by the actions of others not so important. This is why they are stupid laws.
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If they have not actually been removed from the books, they are technically still valid. But under the legal doctrine of Desuetude, they have "impliedly" repealed themselves, and are really not enforceable.
 
In the UK ignorance of the law is no defence. That's probably true elsewhere too.
You’re famished and like any hungry motorist, you see a McDonalds and make a beeline for its drive-through queue. You’re thinking about that delicious Big Mac; its cheese melting in your mouth, and then washing it down with a nice, ice-cold coke. At least, it is until you get a fine, chunkier than those fries.

Why? Because the law is incredibly strict about the use of phones behind the wheel of a car. Even when tapping a contactless pad with your phone at a drive-through to pay for a meal. If your engine is running and your handbrake is unlocked, you’re using your phone while managing a car and this is against the law. The penalty for breaking this law is £200 and six points on your licence. Most expensive Happy Meal ever, right?
 
Treacle said:
'All beached whales and sturgeons must be offered to the Reigning Monarch'.

Now I know why 'we' are leaving the EU and are taking back 'our' fishing rights. (Not being political here) I really can't imagine the queen enjoying a plate of beach whale and chips. I'm losing the plot Aunt Marg time for my G and T. 🥳
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The law was tested as recently as 2004, when a fisherman named Robert Davies caught a 9lb sturgeon off the coast of Wales which he duly offered to the Queen, only to receive notice that she was happy for him to “dispose of the fish as he saw fit”. Afterwards, Mr Davies became the subject to a short criminal investigation on the basis that sturgeon are a protected species and it is an offence to deliberately catch or kill them. The particular sturgeon in question, dubbed Stanley, now resides at the Natural History Museum in London.
 
Aside from these dumb laws, in the US, "mistake of fact" and "mistake of law" can be a defense, depends on the facts.
 
Good old Florida has a few too:
It is illegal to block any traveled wagon road. Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner. If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.
 
Our press dined out for months on an EU Law about banana curvature: In fact EU rules do not ban any kind of banana, no matter how straight or curved it may be. What they do, however, is classify the pricing of bananas according to their shape: The best ones must be "free from malformation or abnormal curvature;" the next best can have "slight defects of shape;" and the cheapest or poorest quality can display "defects of shape." Ooh I do love a kinky banana.
Legislators do make a rod for their own back at times. Just leave the bananas for the consumer to choose.
 

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