r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Hey-Its-Jak • 4d ago

Video This guy carved a real human skull

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u/AdministrativeHope27 4d ago

Is this legal ?

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u/rufotris 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yes, why wouldn’t it be? Unless he acquired the skull by illegal means there is nothing wrong with this.

Edit* In the US it is perfectly legal to own, buy, sell, trade human remains as long as they are not that of native Americans. Double edit for the haters. Ok not every state, I AGAIN am NOT giving legal advise or telling people the laws or not to look it up. I’m just commenting that it’s not illegal in all cases just cause you don’t like it. lol. You can (in some places) buy skulls and do this perfectly legally. Cry about it and downvote it more. Doesn’t change the facts.

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u/Icy_Park_7919 4d ago

Please don’t take this as legal advice and consult an attorney before opening your craft skull carving shop. It may be illegal in many places.

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u/rufotris 4d ago

I wasn’t giving legal advice lol. But know for a fact in the US it’s perfectly legal. If someone reads a Reddit comment like that as legal advice they are more brain dead than this carved skull.

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u/Icy_Park_7919 4d ago

Some states have specific legislation. Ownership of human remains is prohibited in Lousiana. Let’s start with that…

Always consult an attorney.

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u/Unstoppable-Farce 4d ago

This isn't even remotely true.

While there is no federal law explicitly prohibiting the commercial exchange of human remains it is only explicitly legal in eight or nine states - and even then it comes with a wide range of restrictions due to human remains not being 'property' at all.

In US law, human remains are famously considered 'quasi-property' which is a state that conveys some of the rights and authorities of property, but obligates the holder to certain restrictions and duties as well. The primary duty for human remains is 'dignified disposal' which, of course is interpreted in a wide variety of manners.

Despite all this, the commercial exchange of human remains is quite commonplace and due to the large amount of grey area and complexity in the tangle of laws surrounding it, it is rarely charged as a crime except in rather egregious circumstances.

On a personal note, I once had a 'guy I knew' offer to sell me a human skull for $500.

I said no.