People Admit What's Legal, Even Though Everyone Thinks It's Illegal
Ever have your mom warn you that something was illegal? Ever found out years later it was just a way to make you stop doing it? Or how about those laws and police procedure we learn from TV or movies?
Reddit user adaminc "What is something that people think is illegal, but actually isn't?"
Here are some surprisingly legal activities from around the globe.
Weed-B-Gone
Buying a flamethrower apparently.
They're very useful for dealing with weeds quickly.
Local Only
There is no "one free phone call".
By law, the police have to give you as many phone calls as you need to contact an attorney.
That Kilt Question
Public nudity.
In Scotland at least.
Get the Fava Beans
Being a cannibal
It's illegal to kill someone, destroy a dead body etc etc, but it isn't illegal to do the act of eating human flesh.
Just in order to do it you need to break 12 other laws.
TV Legal Degree
Saying you're not a cop, if you are a cop and someone asks you if you're a cop.
Really, in general it's completely legal for law enforcement to lie to you, but not the other way around.
Shirts vs. Skins
Females going topless. Not in every state, but in a surprising number.
Tag, You're It
It's legal to remove mattress tags. It's only illegal if the seller removes the tags before trying to sell it.
It's even written right on the tag itself: "Under penalty of law this tag is not to be removed except by the consumer."
Stolen Valor
It's not illegal to wear military uniforms. It's not even illegal to lie about serving. It's only illegal if you use it to manipulate/gain/profit in your favor.
I've seen enough videos on YouTube to know that it will get you yelled at and humiliated, though.
When it comes to the first amendment, people have this odd thought that just because you are allowed to say whatever you want, other people aren't allowed to criticize you for it. Sure you can lie your a$$ off about being a military veteran (so long as you aren't trying to defraud the government for benefits), but that doesn't mean that people can't sh!# all over you for doing so.
The Yellow Rose Though...
In Texas, picking blue bonnet flowers. It's not illegal at all. Pick some, take them home and put them in a vase if you like.
That's just something moms told their kids so they wouldn't literally pick ALL of them out of the yard.
One for the Road
Drink a bottle of beer while driving in Germany. You can do it, but if you have too much blood alcohol after that beer, you are screwed.
MPG is Murder
Owning a tank, completely legal in the US and UK.
You need rubber tracks (called parade tracks) in the US in order to drive it on the road, but once you do that you can even take it on the highway.
Stacking the Deck
Counting cards at the casino - you won't be arrested for it, but anyone who's ever seen the film Casino knows you may wish you had.
At the Movies
It is legal to buy and sell tickets to R rated movies to those under 17. The policy is a self regulation imposed by theaters and movie distributors.
Drive By
Passing a cop driving really slow in front of you.
Nearly Departed
It's not illegal to fake your death.
But it is illegal if you collect insurance on it. Or using it as a means to get out of a legal responsibility like debt, alimony, etc.
Little Blue Lie
Cops lying to suspects. Totally legal and holds up in court.
Mastication
Chewing gum in Singapore. Its perfectly legal,it's just the sale and distribution of it that is illegal.
Breaking Free
In Germany its not illegal to break out of jail.
They don't punish you further for wanting freedom, a basic human right/emotion/whatever you call it.
To Valhalla
I inquired at a cremation facility I was doing work at (network technician, before anyone gets any funny ideas...), and in my area, it is completely legal to have a Viking-style funeral, like with a flaming arrow shot at a boat that the body is in.
The only real restrictions are a) you have to do it somewhere it's not going to cause a panic (like a smaller tributary, or back river, not at the shore during peak tourist season, for example), and b) you have to have a fire marshal in attendance, just in case it gets out of control.
There are some truly strange laws depending on where you go. Here is a list of the weirdest ones.
U/Bone_Donor asked: What is the stupidest law where you live?
Did you know that murder is allowed in certain instances, depending on where you go? Talk about scary.
I’m sure no one will test these laws.
Not sure how much of it is true. But apparently if the Swedes cross the border by walking over the ice given its frozen over, (which it hasn't in like more than 100 years) we are allowed to kill them.
There's an old law in York in the UK that says if a Scotsman is within the city walls after sundown you can kill them with a longbow. I assume no one has tested the law for a while.
The exact gates they have to be within are defined but I don't remember what they are.
Dying is illegal in France.
Kate Mckinnon Snl GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphyOh boy. France has some history and a love of regulation. Perfect mix for absurd laws. Quick examples:
It's still technically mandatory to have hay at home in case the king's horse is nearby and needs some... Horses have been a pretty rare sight, let alone kings.
A mayor made it illegal to die in his town. The initial problem was an overcrowded cemetery, but he kinda reached the wrong solution.
This probably isn’t enforced anymore.
There is a medieval law here that has never been repealed: all males over the age of 14 are required by law to practice longbow for at least two hours per week.
Some of these laws are so silly, they make you wonder what event happened that put them in place.
I think everyone has done this.
"Forbidden to pee in the ocean". I live in Portugal.
'Like a piss in the ocean' is literally a euphemism for something not mattering. What's the problem?
Tigers are fine, though.
film history GIF by DiggGiphyIt's illegal to bring a lion to the movies.
Somebody better have a conversation with MGM.
Define “suspiciously”.
You can't carry a salmon suspiciously.
"Sir, what were carrying this salmon close to your body? Were you going to use it as a weapon?"
"No officer, I was going to eat it later"
"Seems suspicious you were carrying it around in public. I'm gonna have to take you in for questioning."
"Nuuuuu!"
What is the backstory here?
It's illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors here.
I know this is Pennsylvania, but I forget the exact reasoning, but I think it has something to do with homeless people.
These next few laws will definitely make you question these towns’ legitimacy when it comes to lawmaking.
Poor raccoons.
raccoon stealing GIFGiphyIn Virginia, it's illegal to "hunt or kill any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species" on Sundays. However, it is permissible to kill raccoons.
How the heck is this enforced?
I don't know if this is still a thing anymore, but in Texas it used to be illegal to own more than six dildos.
It's illegal to own any at all in Alabama unless the owner has a letter from a doctor claiming a legitimate medical need.
Granted, most of these laws were written a very long time ago. But it makes you wonder, what the heck were these original lawmakers doing? And what event happened that needed these laws to be enforced at all?
If some of these laws don't make you want to be a criminal, then I don't know what will