Weird laws

[Woogie]

Anyone know any?

My favourite has to be - In Alaska it's illegal to put an ice cream in your back pocket.

Totally random!!

[kellar]

http://www.eldar.org/~ben/funny/html/180.html

[Ted 'N' Leo]

Louisiana:
1. It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.

Enforced by Tom Cruise (if anyone remembers that Balls of Steel episode).

[MrBump]

What about local bylaws?

In Norfolk it's still legal to marry your sister, providing that she isn't also your aunt.

I might have made that up...

[38thBeatle]

My sister doesn't live in Norfolk.

[dave_mc]

there's a website for all of those... i remember looking at it when i was at uni...


http://www.dumblaws.com/

[Roobubba]

I know that University College in Oxford has the right to close the High Street for archery practice on the first (or second?) Sunday of every month. I don't think that one's been used for a while!

Roo

[Will]

You can't prosecute people without a permanent address (gypsies)

[Woogie]

You can't prosecute people without a permanent address (gypsies)

Gypsies have been stealing stuff from gardens around here lately. If I see them I will be having words!!

[Elliot]

This is not true - If you don't have an address, the cops will detain you over night in a cell until your appearance at court.  If the Court grants you bail rather than remand you the Court will give you an address at a bail hostel or police station.  You then have to sign in every so often at the bail hostel  and this is treated as your address for communication with the Court.  It may be the case that the Police don't bother, but it is not the law that you cannot prosecute a person with no fixed address.

You cannot sue a person without an address as there must be an address for service of legal papers. 

The issue of rights of archery and other medieval weapon rights always comes up in these discussions - English law has a doctrine of implied repeal: if a statute makes something illegal, it implicitly repeals all prior grants and statutes allowing the act - so most of the ancient rights to weapons training have been implicitly repealed by successive dangerous weapons legislation since the 18th century.

[blue]

i remember seeing something about an english town, i have Norwich in my head but not sure, where a law remains on the books that if a scottish person is seen within the city walls carrying a bow it is legal to kill him! of course, as said above, laws passed since have effectively overwritten it, but the actual piece of legislation has never been repealed.

if anyone can remember where this is and the exact details, please do tell.

[Afghan Dave]

i remember seeing something about an english town, i have Norwich in my head but not sure, where a law remains on the books that if a scottish person is seen within the city walls carrying a bow it is legal to kill him! of course, as said above, laws passed since have effectively overwritten it, but the actual piece of legislation has never been repealed.

if anyone can remember where this is and the exact details, please do tell.

It's Chester and you can kill any unarmed Welshman after dark within the city walls.  :?

[blue]

It's Chester and you can kill any unarmed Welshman after dark within the city walls.  :?

ah! thanks Dave.  just have to go to Chester and patiently wait for Gryff Rhys Jones then...  :)