Some ridiculous laws were not quite so ridiculous when passed but they certainly became ridiculous over time because of technology, community standards or new legal rulings. The process of making a law is complicated. However, the process of un-making a law is also complicated. In making and un-making laws, you have to get a majority of the lawmakers to agree which is quite an arduous task. So, if a statute proves itself to be a ridiculous law as time passes, the enforcers just stop wasting time enforcing it and there is no need to remove it from the books. Some older statutes, such as being required to obtain a permit before firing a missile, still seem logical. Then there are others, such as the fact that it is illegal to keep your horse in a bathtub, that make you wonder where the need for these laws arose. Below are a few of our favorites from our great state of SC.

A permit must be obtained to fire a missile.

A railroad my not remove itself from a town of more than five hundred people.

It is illegal to give or receive oral sex in South Carolina.

When approaching a four way or blind intersection in a non-horse driven vehicle you must stop 100 ft from the intersection and discharge a firearm into the air to warn horse traffic.

Dance halls may not operate on Sundays.

It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.

Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order to ward off Indian attacks.

No work may be done on Sunday.

It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.

Musical instruments may not be sold on Sunday.

A person must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine.

Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.

By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, the marriage must take place.

It is illegal to sell any alcoholic beverages on Sunday, unless you own a private club.

In Charleston:
The Fire Department may blow up your house.

It is against the law to drive a motorized vehicle on King Street.

In Clemson:
Lifeguards must be present at apartment complex pools, but only after 11:00 PM.

Sexually oriented businesses may not open for business on Sundays.

“Vicious Dogs” may not be kept within the city limits.

Bitches in heat shall be confined.

In Fountain Inn:
Horses are to wear pants at all times.

In Greenville:
The drinking age on Furman University campus is 60 years old.

In Hilton Head:
Carriages may not be driven on sidewalks.

One commits a nuisance if he or she leaves a large amount of trash in their own vehicle.

In Lancaster County:
It is illegal to dance in public in Lancaster.

In Myrtle Beach:
It is illegal to urinate in the waters of any park.

Persons may not change clothes in a gas station without permission of the owner.

No one may sleep on the beach at night.

In Spartanburg:
Eating watermelons in the Magnolia Street cemetery is forbidden.