It’s surprisingly funny how often we are blissfully unaware of the many things we do that are considered illegal. Or rather, it’s hilarious how ridiculous our justice system can be. I mean, you wouldn’t believe some of the insane laws that we’ve had over the years that, for some reason, are still active. Although, I suppose it’s due to how most of these laws can’t possibly be enforced by the police. They can’t catch all of us cause chances are they’re breaking the law with us too. It’s not like the police don’t already break the laws they (allegedly) enforce anyway. That and someone did it for it to be enacted as a law at some point in time. With that being said, here are some of my favorite laws that are not only questionable but might not be as uncommon as you’d think.
Starting off, we have something that everyone on a college campus has done too many times to count, jaywalking. Everyone does it, especially when you’re trying to get to that 8:30 AM class and you wake up at 8:00, with Transloc picking you up at 8:25 AM. However, according to Pedestrian Laws of North Carolina, it is illegal to cross a street without looking when there isn’t a street signal or the crosswalk is unmarked. This means that over 90% of NC State students have been criminals far before they started their first semester.
Another would be using Spotify to D.J., which, surprisingly enough, we probably already know a couple of people who do it daily. Who would’ve thought setting the mood for an event by using an account YOU pay for would be a crime?
At number three, we have riding your bike with no hands, something every kid has done at some point in their life. While there was probably some scenario that caused this law to be enacted, it’s just so random that one can’t help but wonder why. Who sat down and actually thought, “This is too dangerous. Let’s make this illegal.”? Honestly, if these laws were actually enforced, I’d either be financially bankrupt from the fines I’d have or be in jail by now.
Number four is singing off key. The law was established in the 19th century. It has been speculated that it was made due to a man in Lumberton, NC, being fined for singing poorly. I wonder how bad the singing was for them to be fined. What did they do to make people that mad? If that’s the case, a lot of y’all should’ve been in jail by now (I’m talking to you, Ray J). It’s funny enough that all the laws I have mentioned thus far have been from North Carolina.
At number five, we have stealing up to $1,000 of kitchen grease. As for why someone would steal $1,000 worth of kitchen grease, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe someone was having some sort of massive cookout of sorts; either way, the law was enacted in 2013. This is due to the fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that kitchen grease is worth around 40 cents per pound. An interesting commodity, to say the least. Restaurants and grease collectors took this issue to the state legislature because large amounts of kitchen grease were being stolen. Needless to say, the law was created and now restaurants everywhere can sigh with relief knowing that their precious grease is safe.
Finally, at number six, there’s a time limit on how long one can play bingo. The maximum allotted time for bingo is five hours. The only exception is if the game is being played at the fair. Apparently, it is also illegal to drink during bingo. I don’t know if I’ve seen someone have that intense of a bingo game for this even to be a law, the only games that I know that start something are Spades and Uno. One can’t help but think about who’s in office for some of these laws to have been taken seriously enough to be passed.
