The Strange Truth Behind Some Of Oklahoma’s Weirdest Laws

Over the years, in the true "legislation just to legislate" tradition, our Sooner State has ended up with some really perplexing laws.

While most people think politicians are somewhat ridiculous when it comes to the bills they propose, these cherry-picked few will leave you thinking, "Why is that a law?"

Here are the goods.

One May Not Promote A Horse-Tripping Event

I know what you're thinking. Who would trip a horse? But it was once a very popular rodeo sport, exactly like calf-roping.

Well, not exactly like calf-roping... half the time it ended up with the horse being put down.

It was also a very popular trend during the days of the traveling Wild West shows.

In the days before television and "talkie" movies, traveling western shows were the entertainment of the day. In order to really sink in the drama and action of historically accurate gunfights and the like, performers would trip their horses to "sell" their performance to onlookers.

Eventually, the spectacle wore off when horses were injured, and the medicine of the time was a quick Colt Peacemaker shot to the head. While putting down a horse due to an accident is still considered humane, doing so with such regularity as a traveling show would was considered cruel even back then, thus the horse-tripping law.

Weirdly, it was a small blurb snuck into a law that banned bear wrestling here in the state. A big win for America's performing animals.

Women Can't 'Do' Their Own Hair

This is probably the most famous weird Oklahoma law, at least in some circles concerning hair care and getting a blow-out and up-do, but it's not exactly accurate.

By all means, it has always been legal to do your own hair in Oklahoma.

The idea that styling your own hair was illegal came out of a consumer safety law passed in the mid-1900s after Oklahoma clarified the cosmetology licensing rules.

The truth is it limited what the "shade-tree mechanic" version of hairdressers could do without lawfully obtaining a state license. And in the early days of hair care and chemical treatments, it was a good thing.

People were still buying and drinking radioactive water at the time. There's no telling what was going into those bouffant hairstyles.

Taxes Must Be Paid On Second-Hand Goods

Deep down in the Oklahoma tax code, there's a little-known blurb that basically states you must pay taxes on personal belongings that you pick up second-hand.

Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, garage sales, etc... If you bought, you must pay.

Now, you might be thinking, "Taxes have already been paid on those items. Surely Oklahoma isn't trying to double-tax these things..." but you'd be wrong. That's exactly what Oklahoma is doing.

It's not just goods either. It extends to everything you purchase. Boats, motorcycles, used cars, etc... You must pay a tax to have an item. Any item. Period.

Before your brain starts hurting trying to math up all of those Marketplace deals you scored, nobody actually pays their taxes on that kind of stuff. I mean, on boats and vehicles, you do because the tag office ransoms it to you... but everything else, not a chance.

Officially, you're a criminal guilty of tax evasion. Welcome to the most exclusive club in the Sooner State. We call ourselves "Everyone," and we meet daily, individually, in our own private homes.

It's also not an Oklahoma thing either... most states do the same thing.

There are more weird laws still on the books in Oklahoma, and the truth behind them is even harder to find. In the early days of statehood, laws were generally written in very broad and stiff verbiage to best arm law enforcement officials with teeth to uphold the law... and as the state has reworded and corrected the oddball stuff over the years, the context has been stripped away as well.