In this special series on www.stupidpatrol.com we are bringing you the truly stupid laws that exist in the USA, and around the world.

We hope you knowing these stupid and relatively unknown laws will give you a laugh, keep you informed on the idiocy that can be law, and help keep you out of jail – for being Stupid.

As they say “ignorance of the law is no excuse” and as we say stupidity must be a real good excuse!

Today we discover – Alabama 

Alabama State Flag

• Bear wrestling matches are prohibited.

Full text of the Law

Section 13A-12-5 Unlawful bear exploitation; penalties.

(a) A person commits the offense of unlawful bear exploitation if he or she knowingly does any one of the following:
(1) Promotes, engages in, or is employed at a bear wrestling match.
(2) Receives money for the admission of another person to a place kept for bear wrestling.
(3) Sells, purchases, possesses, or trains a bear for bear wrestling.
(4) For purposes of exploitation, subjects a bear to surgical alteration in any form, including, but not limited to, declawing, tooth removal, and severing tendons.
(b) Unlawful bear exploitation is a Class B felony and is punishable as provided by law.
(c) Upon the arrest of any person for violating this section, the arresting law enforcement officer, conservation officer, or animal control officer shall have authority to seize and take custody of any bear in the possession of the arrested person.
(d) Upon the conviction of any person for violating the provisions of this section, any court of competent jurisdiction shall have authority to order the forfeiture by the convicted person of any bear, the use of which was the basis of the conviction. Any bears ordered forfeited under this section shall be placed in the custody of a humane shelter, a society that is incorporated for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
(e) In addition to the fines, penalties, and forfeitures imposed under this section, the court may require the defendant to make restitution to the state, any of its political subdivisions, or a humane shelter or a society that is incorporated for the prevention of cruelty to animals for housing, feeding, or providing medical treatment to bears used for unlawful wrestling.
(Acts 1996, No. 96-468, p. 581, §1.)

Why does this law exist?

Bear wrestling, many years ago, was a crude form of entertainment that had to be dealt with. It not only subjected bears to harsh conditions, but also risked the bears’ lives as well.

• Incestuous marriages are legal.

Full text of the Law

Section 30-1-3
Issue of incestuous marriages not deemed illegitimate.

The issue of any incestuous marriage, before the same is annulled, shall not be deemed illegitimate.

(Code 1852, §1945; Code 1867, §2334; Code 1876, §2673; Code 1886, §2310; Code 1896, §2840; Code 1907, §4880; Code 1923, §8994; Code 1940, T. 34, §3.)

Comment by The Sheriff: Oh Shit! And here i was always making fun of West Virginia where your Mother can be your Sister, Cousin, Grandmother and Aunt all at the same time!

• You may not drive barefooted.

Comment by The Sheriff: Well, good thing I didn’t get caught!

• It is considered an offense to open an umbrella on a street, for fear of spooking horses.
• It is illegal to sell peanuts in Lee County after sundown on Wednesday.
• It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.
• Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death.
• Boogers may not be flicked into the wind.
• It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street if you have a lantern attached to the front of your automobile.
• You must have windshield wipers on your car.
• You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time.

Comment by The Sheriff: Ummmm, OK, but can I keep Ice Cream without the cone there?!

• Masks may not be worn in public.

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