Imagine a world with no laws. There would be absolute chaos and no organization to society. Whether we are fans of them or not, laws are in place to keep structure to our lives and keep each of us as safe as possible. We often times view laws as strict but there are actually some laws out there that are comical. Though most of them were created long ago and seem rather silly in relation to today’s world, most of them are still on the books and are fully able to be enforced. Check out some of these ridiculous laws:
- Alabama – Be very cautious of what you do with your pet bear! That’s right; it is still illegal to commit unlawful bear exploitation. This includes training a bear for the purpose of bear wrestling. If you fail to obey to this law you will find yourself a felon, fined, and your bear will be confiscated.
- Arizona – Living on a farm? Be careful of what you’re feeding your pigs. In this state you must obtain a permit before you are allowed to feed your pigs trash. Yes, trash. The weirdest part is that there is actually a permit to be allowed to feed your pigs garbage. But once you receive your permit, be sure to renew it annually or it’s no longer allowed.
- California – Most people in the south have tried frog legs. In California, it is illegal to eat a frog that dies during a frog-jumping contest. While this is a little weird, this law is in place to protect the competitors of the bull frog leaping competition that takes place in Angels Camp, California.
- Illinois – Do you have a pet salamander? Be sure you don’t have more than 75 of them. It is a crime for you to have more than $600 worth of salamanders in the state of Illinois. This equates to about 75 salamanders. I’m not sure who would want 75 lizards in their house to make this law take effect, but it is still practiced.
- Iowa – Everybody loves butter. In Iowa you better not try to pass off margarine as real butter. You may be convicted of a misdemeanor. And probably get some mean stares by any visiting southerners who take this great margarine vs butter war seriously.
- Louisiana – If you’re eating at a restaurant you assume your food is cooked according to health codes, right? Not in Louisiana. The traditional jambalaya dish is not subject to the typical sanitation regulations. It can be cooked using an iron pot over a fire for public consumption.
- Minnesota – Games are always fun, but not in Minnesota if there are animals involved. There is a law that prohibits games that involve a person attempting to catch a greased pig. As if that isn’t enough, you are not allowed to be involved in turkey scrambles. I’m wondering which games exactly were going on that caused this law to take effect….
- Mississippi – You better watch your mouth in Mississippi! Want to go to jail for 30 days or be fined $100? Go ahead and say a cuss word. Using profanity in front of two or more people is illegal. Maybe your mom was just trying to save you some jail time every time she told you to watch your mouth.
- West Virginia – Do you love hunting? Make sure you grab your hunting dog and not your hunting…ferret? That’s right folks. It is illegal to hunt with a ferret! If you are caught hunting, catching, or killing a wild animal using a ferret you may land in jail for 10 to 100 days or have a fine up to $500!
After seeing some of these laws still on the books, our driving laws don’t seem so pointless. Be sure to be safe on the roads and follow all the laws. They are there for a reason!
