Crazy Arizona Laws

1. Hunting camels is prohibited.

What in the world are camels during roaming around in Arizona? The law was created to protect the camels that were brought in by the U. S. Army. They were experimenting on them until they gave up and let them go to roam the Arizona desert.

2. There is a possible 25 years in prison sentence for cutting down a cactus.

How can this be? There are more cactus than people. The law is actually there to protect the endangered Saquaro cactus.

3. When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person possesses.

What??? Wait a minute, what is that your holding? A knife?? Oh no, I've got a gun.

4. It is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling.

I guess a dentist would go broke here.

5. Donkeys cannot sleep in a bathtub.

I didn't know they would fit.

6. An ordinance prohibits the wearing of suspenders.

Well, at least they can still wear belts.

7. A decree declares that anyone caught stealing soap must wash himself with it until it is all used up.

I guess for some people having to be clean is punishment enough.

8. Cars may not be driven in reverse.

It must be tough to get out of some parking spaces.

9. It is a Class 2 misdemeanor for carving our initials into a tree in the park.

Beware young lovers!!!

10. It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.

This was created mainly to protect the homeless. During the summer the temperature gets as high as 120 degrees. Restaurants were not allowed to charge for a glass of water because of the heat and the threat of dehydration.

• If you cut down an endangered cactus like this Saguaro in Arizona you could face up to a year in prison.
• The Arizona trout is found only in Arizona.
• One Native American tribe called the Havasupai Indians actually live inside the Grand Canyon in a village located near Havasu Creek.
• Billy the Kid killed his first victim named Frank “Windy” Cahill in Bonita, Arizona.
• Turquoise is the official state gemstone.
• Wyatt Earp was neither the town marshal or the sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona at the time of the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral. His brother Virgil was the town marshal, who had temporarily deputized Wyatt, Morgan and Doc Holliday prior to the gunfight.
• The legendary 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory town of Tombstone is considered the most famous shootout in the American Old West, and lasted only 30 seconds.
• Mattie Earp, Wyatt Earp’s second wife, who was with him in Tombstone during the O.K. Corral gunfight committed suicide with an overdose of laudanum on July 3, 1888 in Pinal, Arizona. She was despondent because Earp had left her for another woman.

I enjoy reading about all of the crazy, loony, silly laws that each of our states have. Many of them have been on the books for ages. It seems that they have been forgotten by all by us who bring them out to tickle our funny bones.

On a more serious note, Arizona is a wonderful place to visit.  It has beautiful scenery and friendly people.  These things combined can give you a relaxing peaceful vacation, one that takes you out of the rat race if only for a little while.