Massachusetts is known for many strange laws. Over the years we have heard about many Massachusetts laws that are pure head-scratchers and are just hard to believe they ever came into existence. The Massachusetts goatee law for example seems like it could be something somebody just made up. You can read more about that law by going here. How about the sleep/snoring law? Is that really a thing?

Then you have some Massachusetts laws that seem like they make more sense like the Banned Baby Names Law or the Blasphemy Law. Those laws seem a bit more logical. Many of the odd Massachusetts laws were written decades upon decades ago so I suppose you have to take into account what society and its surroundings were like back in the day.

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One strange Massachusetts law I find quite entertaining is the popular "Gorillas are Not Allowed in the Backseat of Cars" law. That law seems way off base. Plus, you can't find that particular law on the Massachusetts Legislature's website. If I were to take my best guess, this law became blown out of proportion, pumped up if you will, and turned into what is now known as the "gorilla law" that many of us poke fun at.

The actual law that this Gorilla example probably derived from which is on the Massachusetts Legislature's website is Section 22H: Safe transportation of Animals. This law states the following:

No person shall transport an animal in the back of a motor vehicle in a space intended for a load on the vehicle on a public way unless such space is enclosed or has side and tail racks to a height of at least 46 inches extending vertically from the floor, the animal is cross tethered to the vehicle, the animal is protected by a secured container or cage or the animal is otherwise protected in a manner which will prevent the animal from being thrown or from falling or jumping from the vehicle. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than $50.

Somebody probably took this legitimate law and turned it into the weird Gorilla Backseat urban legend that we know today. If anything, it's entertaining. What do you think? Does my theory make sense or am I way off here?

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