Viewer discretion advised: Discussion of sex and animal cruelty
Laws are a huge part in how society is kept functioning at its highest capacity. Rules and regulations are created in order to help prevent the injuries of others and help to promote the creation of societal and moral backbones. However, there are some laws that just don’t make a lot of sense and probably shouldn’t have been made to begin with.
All states across the U.S., and countries around the world, have questionable laws, but may not implement them at full capacity. Some may come across from urban legends, and others from more than dubious leaders or sources. And while there seems to be no shortage of silly laws and interesting locations to choose from, here are Montana’s top three most enthralling laws.
NUMBER THREE: It is illegal to take or catch fish using fish traps, grab hooks, spears, gigs, or other similar means for catching fish
This law makes a lot of sense, as it protects the wilderness and continues to protect fish that are caught and need to be released. It also prevents the injuries, and even deaths, of the other wild animals in the body of water. However, there are also some objects that a person could use to fish that won’t bring much harm overall. One of these items is a lasso.
And while there seems to be a small argument within the wilderness protection agencies and veterinarians, some people believe that they could tame the wild animals and will be able to give the raccoons all they could ever hope and dream for.
No one fishing can use a lasso in Montana. According to Heenan and Cook Trial Lawyers, who supply attorneys for those in need during a case, “Using a lasso to catch fish can injure or kill them, and it is not a sustainable method of fishing.”
Yet, if no one is impressed by someone being able to catch a fish with a lasso, color me surprised. Fishing is already a long, and sometimes boring, process that may result in nothing being caught or large enough to eat. However, learning how to lasso, and then trying to catch the fish with said lasso, comes across as much more frustrating and disappointing than regular fishing.
In order to fish with a lasso, the fisher must be adept at using a lasso. It takes many years to learn how to lasso and how to fish. Putting the two together will take even longer, and may not produce the same results that the fisher had with land animals.
Some sources claim that fish are capable of feeling pain and experiencing trauma. According to PeTA, “ They are scared, in pain, and fighting for their lives.”
In order to prove this, scientists would run them through trials. They would inject the fish with a type of venom to induce pain. By observing the fish, they noted that the fish would rub against the floor or the glass walls of the tank to take care of the injured body part. Some would even stop eating and starve to death depending on where the pain is coming from. However, some scientists don’t believe this due to fish not having the same pain spectrum as humans do.
While fishing can damage the environment depending on the style or objects used, there are some items that wouldn’t bring as much harm and could easily be used in a way to fish, even if it isn’t sustainable.
NUMBER TWO: It is illegal to perform obscene acts if it lacks serious literary, scientific, or artistic value
In other words, it is illegal to have sex in any position other than missionary in Montana. This law doesn’t make a lot of sense considering all of the gray areas surrounding it. Due to the fact that no one is able to ensure that the law is being followed. It seems highly improbable that someone would purposefully observe a person performing these acts of pleasure, but there seems to be some sort of concern about how it’s performed in a court of law.
What even is obscenity? According to the Criminal Division of the U.S. Judicial System, “Obscenity is defined as anything that fits the criteria of the Miller test, which may include, for example, visual depictions, spoken words, or written text.”
The Miller Test, was a set of guidelines that all states across the nation have to follow in cases for obscenity. The guideline became a thing during Miller v. California case, where Miller sent explicit photos and drawings of both men and women to various restaurants around California. This law, silly as it is, tries to prevent a minor from being exposed to anything too indecent. It also provides a type of protection to the participants of the activity and tries to prevent serious injury from occurring.
NUMBER ONE: It is illegal to own a raccoon in Montana
There are some people who dream of owning a raccoon. And there are others who are very disgusted by the idea of owning a, what could be considered, feral animal. However, there are multiple good reasons as to why this great opposition occurs within the general public, as well as throughout most of the United States.
Raccoons are known by multiple wilderness protection agencies as carriers of disease and deadly to the human population in certain circumstances. One such agency is Skedaddle, which claims that, “Raccoons can carry zoonotic parasites and infectious diseases, including rabies, that pose a threat to you, your family, and other pets. For example, the droppings of raccoons can contain raccoon roundworms that can and do infect humans”.
Zoonotic parasites are a type of infectious disease to a human that is caused by pathogens that a non-human vertebrae can give to a person. Some examples of this would include malaria, plague, and salmonella.
However, wilderness protection agencies and vets also note that raccoons could seem to come across as lovely house pets and have some potential of being one. According to WebMD, “Domesticated raccoons can be housetrained and become affectionate. But pet raccoons like to play as much as they like to cuddle”.
In conclusion, while it is probable that these laws were meant to protect the welfare of the human population and the animal population, I believe that these laws just don’t make a lot of sense. However, it is up to the people to decide what they believe to be meaningless, and which laws should be kept and followed by a firm hand.
