4. Walnut's mask restriction

Morsel:

In Walnut, California it is illegal for someone to wear a mask or disguise without a permit from the sheriff – so possibly no Halloween costumes without a permit.

Meal:

There are many laws scattered throughout the globe which can seem questionable at an initial glance, and which are frequently discovered through lists on the internet. Some of these laws are hangovers from a previous age, where they made sense in the context of the period, but now no longer do. They remain on the statute books because lawmakers did not have time to revoke them and they are often ignored in practice or are still useful in some way.

One such law from the UK declares that it is forbidden to wear armour in Parliament. This law, translated from the Anglo-Norman language as “Statute forbidding Bearing of Armour” was enacted in 1313 during the reign of Edward II of England. It stated that “every Man shall come without all Force and Armour” and was apparently passed to prevent armed interruptions. The statute forbids anyone from carrying any type of weapon into the House, so it still has some use. One presumable exception to this is the Serjeant at Arms, who is responsible for keeping order within the Commons and traditionally carries a sword.

Other laws are simply misinterpretations or outright urban myths. One example of this was the claim that if someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requests to use the toilet, then you are bound by law to allow them to use it. Although Scottish people may be hospitable, there is no evidence that such a law exists.

Then there are laws which could lead to normal situations being technically illegal. In the city of Walnut, California, USA, there exists a law in its city code that states:

No person shall wear a mask or disguise on a public street without a permit from the sheriff.

Written as such, this law could restrict trick-or-treaters on Halloween dressing in the usual scary garb. In practice, its government seems to regularly host Halloween events, where its participants would presumably walk through the streets wearing their costumes.

The reason for that particular law is unclear, but anti-mask laws are common in many countries, and US states, and are used to prevent those who wish to commit a crime from not being indentified. For the USA, many of these laws were enacted against the Ku Klux Klan's waves of violence and intimidation during the 1920s and 1950s and whose members wore hoods. These laws are usually specified more explicitly as such, compared to the rather simple rendition dictated in Walnut's city code.

Recipe:

Law Commision’s Statute Repeals Team. 2013. Legal Curiosities: Fact or Fable?

Anon. n.d. “Serjeant at Arms.” parliament.uk. Retrieved September 3, 2017.

Stone, Jon. 2015. “9 Absurd Rules about What You Can’t Do in Parliament.” The Independent, May 14.

Anon. 1313. A Statute Forbidding Bearing of Armour (1313). UK.

Clare, Sean. 2012. “Illegal Mince Pieces and Other UK Legal Legends.” BBC News. Retrieved September 3, 2017.

Anon. n.d. “17-32 Mask or disguise—Wearing.” Walnut City Code. Retrieved September 3, 2017.

Anon. n.d. “City Special Events: Fall.” City of Walnut. Retrieved September 3, 2017.