Crazy Laws to Make You Laugh

Laws should be made to ensure society runs smoothly, boundaries are set and people are protected, without infringing on our freedom. However, we all know there are some very bizarre, unreasonable and downright funny laws out there in the US and around the world. Many of the laws are stated as fact, but actually not true or they are exaggerations of old laws. When reading about these crazy laws it is important to take them with a pinch of salt and merely enjoy them for their humorous side.

Weird Arizona laws
There are many strange laws in the state of Arizona that are loosely based on events or laws in history, but these laws are actually not true. It is said that in Arizona it is against the law to hunt camels. This is one law that just sounds unrealistic, and it is true that it isn't a law, but camels do appear in Arizona's history. In the 1800s the U.S. Army wanted to build a Camel Corps and thus they formed heard of camels in Arizona, Nevada and Texas. When this venture failed a camel herd was released into the wilderness and camels were seen in the wild up to the 1950s. This event could be the root of this unusual law.

Other funny, but untrue Arizona laws state that women in Tuscon are not allowed to wear pants, wearing a red mask while committing a misdemeanor automatically upgrades it to a felony, wearing suspenders in the town of Nogals is illegal and you aren't allowed to drive a car in reverse if you are in Glendale.

Old European Laws
These old European laws are pretty funny, but don't take them too seriously. Venice had a couple of laws regarding prostitutes. One law in the 15th century said prostitutes had to go topless. A century earlier using a prostitute was encouraged, in an attempt to prevent homosexuality. By the 18th century a prostitute facing punishment could escape her fate if she was willing to join the opera.

Other weird old European laws state that King Henry VI thought kissing was the cause of disease, and thus lead to him banning it in 1439. Nearly two hundred years later, in 1603, King James VI banned using the last name of MacGregor. Women who were menstruating were not allowed to touch food or attend church in the Middle Ages. In 1892 Italy changed its law on the minimum age that girls were allowed to marry to 12 years old.

Bizarre American laws
America has no shortage of weird laws, some of them are certainly untrue, like the aforementioned camel hunting law, but many have some root in history. Some laws that were or are true include: City Hall in New York City must provide hitching posts outside for reporters to tie their horses, pawning your dentures in Las Vegas is breaking the law and if you live in Pacific Grove, California you better be nice to butterflies, because if you kill one or even threaten one you could be arrested. One of America's earliest laws established by the strict Puritans in Massachusetts states that children that curse of smite their parents, act stubbornly or rebelliously will be punished by death.

A little known or ever enforced law was created in 1832 by Congress. This law said that every US citizen had to spend one day every year praying and fasting. However, this law had little impact and was pretty much ignored by the public.

One old American law that many people would like is Supreme Court's ruling on the unconstitutionality of Federal income tax. The first time Americans saw a Federal income tax was when the country needed money for the Civil War.

Some funny, but possibly untrue crazy American laws
If you want to wear dentures in Vermont and you are a women you should hope that you are married, as you will need written consent from your husband to do so. If you are wearing a bathing suit in Florida you will need to exercise some restraint if you enjoy singing, as dressing this way in public makes it illegal to sing. If you have only one arm and you happen to be a pianist in Iowa you must always perform for free. In case you are in Kentucky and think it is a good idea to carry an ice cream in your pocket, think again as this would be breaking the law. If you live in Cleveland and you have a problem with mice, you can't just head out to your local hardware store for traps, you first need to ensure you have a hunting license. Finally if you happen to be driving in Alabama make sure you remove that blindfold you put on before setting out in one of the neighboring states because you could find yourself breaking the law or possibly hitting a tree.

There are hundreds, if not thousand of these odd laws, whether or not they are all true is a different matter, but they certainly provide a good chuckle.