More Strange Laws In Texas? Yup. Watch The Number Of These You Own.
Every state has those weird quirks about it, ya know?
Texas however is known for having some old, strange laws that were implemented that people don't really know about.
Some of these laws kinda make sense, like the one that prohibits you from selling your own body organs. I mean, we've heard about this happening on the black market, but common sense says you don't cut yourself open and hand over your kidney.
However, some of these laws are major head scratchers. I get some of them are probably archaic laws that were come up with decades, if not centuries ago. It's the last one though where my brain literally stopped. Let's take a look at a few of them.
OWNING THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA SET
Are you telling me I can't learn in Texas? Remember back in the day? You'd hear a knock on the door, and here's someone with a book in their hand. Leather bound, big and beautiful. You were mesmerized by them. Yes, Encyclopedia Britannica was a beautiful thing. It seemed a lot of people had full sets in their house.
Did you know though that if you got caught with them in Texas, you could be fined or sent to jail? It's true! The reason you couldn't purchase them back in the day was because one of the volumes in the set had the recipe for making beer. No joke.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE A MUST
Now this one seems like common sense. I mean, you can't pass a vehicle inspection with wipers that are worn down, let alone gone. So that law seems like it makes perfect sense.
Here's what doesn't make sense...having a front windshield is NOT a crime. You can drive around and let the wind smack you in the face as it enters where the windshield SHOULD be, but you still have to have the windshield wipers. Without those, you're getting a ticket and paying a fine.
NO RESTING ON THE SIDEWALK
How many times do you see kids sitting on the sidewalk playing with chalk? Often, right? Now what about you sitting down with them to help them with their art. Seems reasonable right?
Well if you're in Galveston, you're gonna need to keep your butt off the sidewalk. You could be fined $500 if you get caught sitting on the sidewalk there. Guess you'll have to find somewhere else to use that sidewalk chalk.
LIKE SHOWING OFF YOUR STOCKINGS LADIES?
Perfectly acceptable article of clothing to be a wearing, correct? They're professional, and can be a bit sexy at times too. They can serve a dual purpose depending on how you use them.
However, the cities of Dennison and Bristol don't seem to care how you're using them. If you show your stockings in public, you can land in jail for up to a year. Maybe play it safe and keep em covered if you find yourself in one of those two cities.
So all of those seem like some pretty ridiculous laws, right? Definitely some silly ones in there, but none of them come close to this last one I happened to stumble across. No really, I wasn't searching this one out, I saw it mentioned on Reddit and decided to dive into it a bit. It's a bit on the risque side, so stop here if that's not something you're interested in seeing, but...
YOU CAN ONLY OWN UP TO SIX SEX TOYS
Now, let me rephrase this a bit to what the legal term would be. "Obscene articles" is what they are called in the law. What they're referring to though are sex toys.
The law is basically saying that if you own more than six of these, you are showing "intent to promote the same". What exactly does that mean anyway?
Well good news for those of you with more than six, the law is unenforceable as it's unconstitutional. This is not something you'll be prosecuted or charged for. It stays on the books simply because no politician wants to be the one removing a law that would essentially be seen as promoting indecency.
So there ya have it. Throw out those encyclopedias and find a different place to sit down.