Laws You Didn’t Know You Were Breaking….Or not

Every state has its own laws that are put in place to keep people safe. Some make sense, and others...not so much. By the end of this list, you might be thinking, “Who came up with this?” or “Why is this a law?” and maybe even, “Who in their right mind would do this to begin with?” and you are definitely not alone. From women to animals, and everything in between, here are some of the weirdest laws of Montana. 

Women, beware, you might be breaking some of these laws and not even realize it.  

It is illegal for unmarried women to fish by themselves. If you’re married you might be thinking you’re in the clear, and that’s true...except for on Sundays. Married Women can go fishing on their own any day but Sunday. We all know it’s a felony to open someone else’s mail but did you know that’s even true for your significant other? According to Discoveringmontana.com, it is still illegal, even if you’re related to the person who asked you to open said mail. 

Of course, everywhere you go, there will be laws that protect animals, as there should be. But some of these laws make you wonder what was done for these laws to be put into place. For starters, it is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your car without a chaperone. Now, it’s completely legal to carry the sheep in vehicles that are designed to transport animals but if for some reason you do have a sheep in the cab of your truck, make sure to have a chaperone. It might make you wonder though, who is the chaperone there for? Another law regarding sheep, it is illegal to lead a sheep onto railroad tracks with the intention of harming a train. It’s shocking really, to think that these things have really happened and lead to laws being made in order to prevent it happening again. Another law around animals is that in Billings, it is illegal to have or raise rats as pets. It’s understandable, many people find rats to be gross and not the most favorable pets. Other people feel differently though and would love to have a rat as a pet. I mean have you seen the movie ratatouille? Who wouldn’t want a tiny pet that makes them a master chef overnight? The final portion of the animal part of the list is by far the most understandable and many people would agree. It is illegal to pretend to abuse or kill an animal in front of someone under the age of 18. Like I said, this is by far the most understandable law on the list. Nobody should ever pretend or actually harm an animal, ESPECIALLY in front of a child. Unfortunately, it does happen and that’s why it’s a law, and even if it wasn’t a law, I’d hope that people would know that it’s morally incorrect to teach children to harm animals. 

Now, some of the things on this part of the list might make you chuckle, simply because you would think people would have more common sense than to do these things. However, we can assume because there are laws around these things, they’ve probably been done. In Whitehall, you absolutely cannot drive with icepicks on the wheels of your vehicle. With the weather here in Montana, it might be understandable as to why someone might think icepicks would help, but it makes sense that this isn’t legal. In Billings, according to Linerlaw.com, “The city of Billings in Yellowstone County has banned the carrying of concealed or unconcealed weapons and rockets to city council proceedings. These include anything from a small, Ruger LCP handgun to an XM307 belt-fed, automatic grenade launcher.” That one's a real head scratcher. Shouldn’t that apply to any public place? I don’t know about you but I don’t know where to get a grenade launcher and if I did, I wouldn’t bring it to ANY public place, let alone a city council proceeding.  And finally, in Helena it’s illegal to throw anything across a street. 

This list is just a few of many strange laws in Montana. All of them make sense, even though some might be considered common sense. But obviously, if there’s a law against it, it’s probably been done. With that said, leave sheep alone unless there’s a good reason for you to have them, please don’t put icepicks on your tires, and stay far away from city council proceedings with your automatic grenade launcher. 

1. Unmarried women cannot fish by themselves. However Married Women can fish by themselves any day but Sunday. 
2. It’s illegal to open other people’s mail...even if it's your significant other. 
3. You can’t have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a...Sheep-erone.
   
4. Leading a sheep onto railroad tracks with the intention of causing harm to a train is illegal. 
5. It is against the law to raise or have pet rats in Billings. Even if their name is Remmy and they’re a tiny chef. 
6. Pretending to kill or abuse an animal in front of a minor is illegal, as it should be. 
7. In Whitehall, it’s a crime to drive with icepicks on the wheels of your car...makes sense, right? 
8. In Billings, it is illegal to bring any large caliber weapons to a city council proceeding. This includes anything from a hand gun to an automatic grenade launcher.  
9. In Helena it is unlawful to throw anything across a street. It’s probably safe to assume that this is to prevent harm to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.