But don’t worry, it’s not as absurd as it sounds. See, anybody who dies in the Houses of Parliament is entitled to a state funeral. And those things are expensive. So if you’re looking a bit faint, they’ll try get you out of there as quickly as possible in the hopes of avoiding the ensuing hoopla.
This one came about as a result of a 1924 court case, in which a local merchant’s donkey, who had made an old bathtub his preferred sleeping location, was caught up in heavy flooding. The bathtub, with the poor donkey in tow, was swept away when a dam burst, and townspeople had to exert a fair amount of effort to reel him back in. Apparently the merchant’s neighbors weren’t thrilled with the experience, and the law came about.
There’s no background for this one that can be found, so it’s really left to speculation how on earth this came be law. Maybe giraffes were running rampant in Illinois back in the day and the state was concerned for the safety of their necks? Or there was an over-fishing problem and giraffe fishers were the biggest culprits? Either way, thanks, Illinois. This is great.
This actually makes complete sense to me. If you bring your elephant into the middle of downtown Miami, you’re taking up a prime parking spot, if not two or three. Why shouldn’t you have to pay the meter just like everybody else? Would you rather have the elephants wandering around until their owners finish their surfing sessions?
Under N.J.S.2C:12, “a person is guilty of a crime if he uses or wears a body vest while engaged in the commission of…murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, criminal escape, or assault.” Yes, the crime itself is also illegal, but you’ll get an extra charge slapped on if you try to block those pesky police bullets.
For those who are protective of their food, this is your chance to have your friends arrested for snatching a bite of your burger. It’s unclear whether this law is concerned with hamburglars stealing bites right and left, or something more serious like Mad Cow Disease, but either way, it’s still around. I wonder how many cops hang out around McDonald’s to meet their ticket quotas each month.
It’s a bit of a surprise coming from a blue state, but Vermont apparently has strict (or not-so-strict) statutes about it’s female denture-wearing population. Ladies, make sure you bring that permission slip to the dentist, or it’s going to be applesauce and mashed potatoes from here on out.
While on the topic of false teeth, make sure you pop ’em out before trying to take a bite out of a fellow human. While it’s always frowned upon to bite others (didn’t you learn anything in kindergarten?), it’s only simple assault if you’ve got regular old molars. If you’re sporting a spiffy pair of dentures, that gets upgraded to aggravated. Now I’m even more curious what the charge is for the toothless…
Apparently Wyoming was having a problem with rabbit photographers running rampant ion the first quarter of each year, hoping to perfect that Easter bunny shot for the kids. Though it’s obviously not enforced (how much would it cost the police department to assign protection to all the rabbits in the state, I wonder?) you are supposed to apply for a permit before going on your camera-happy way.
This is a pretty solid one, because nobody wants to publicly be called a coward after refusing a duel. Refusing a duel actually seems like a pretty smart move, since you wind up dead or in jail for murder either way you slice it. Maybe Alexander Hamilton would still be around if Burr didn’t go around calling him out.
