is it illegal to rip a dollar?

Question

This kid and i are having a BIG debate about if its illegal or not.
He says its illegal because its government property, I say its legal to rip a dollar because its our rights.
I need your vote or opionan.

Answer 1

At one time it was illegal, but now it is ok.

Answer 2

It's not government property. You are free to rip, burn, shred, fold, spindle, or mutilate it.

The kid is putting you in the position of proving a negative. We don't make a bunch of laws saying "this is legal," we make laws saying what's illegal. Bet him $50 that he can't find a law which makes it illegal to rip a dollar. He should be willing to take you up on it because he claims the $50 is the government's anyway :)

Happy scamming!

Answer 3

Tell your friend we live in a country where we can yell in the street that we hate our government without the fear of being shot, that we vote for our leaders and yes, we can tear up our money. None of these are illegal.

Answer 4

It's not illegal to my knowledge and if it IS illegal it's punishment isn't enforced.

Either way, why would you WANT to rip it. A dollar is a dollar!!!

Answer 5

Rip all the dollars you want, they're yours and I'm thinking police officers have better things to do than arrest someone for ripping their own money...

Answer 6

its neither a vote nor an opinion i fear its a legal fact. its not gov property but it does literally decrease but a miniscule fraction the amount of money in the united states. it is technically illegal. but no one carse and its not enforced

Answer 7

No it's not illegal. It's illegal to steal it from someone else then rip it, but not to rip it if it's yours to begin with.

Answer 8

Yeah, it's illegal. I put some coins on a railroad track and a guy told me it was a federal offence. Can they do anything?

Doubt it.

Answer 9

In some ways you are helping the economy by destroying some money it increases the value of what is left.

Answer 10

(Found on Google Answers)
It is, but the only criminal statute regulating the
destruction or defacement of U.S. currency requires fraudulent intent.
The statute itself is broader than simply banning the fraudulent
modification or attempt to pass defaced currency:

----------------------------------
Title 18 United States Code, Section 331

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes,
falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of
the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current
or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States;
or

Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells,
or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the
United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced,
mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five
years, or both
----------------------------------

This statute can be found online on Cornell Law School's Legal
Information Institute website:
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/331.html

The statute is also available on the website of the United States Mint
(where they emphasize the word "fraudulently".
http://www.usmint.gov/consumer/18USC331.cfm


There are, however, intellectual property factors which must also be
considered, if the currency is modified instead of being destroyed.
The United States Mint owns, by assignment, the design of several
commemorative designs. The statute authorizing this ownership by
assignment, 17 USC 105, is also found on Cornell Law School's Legal
Information Institute website:
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/105.html


An official summary of the law governing the alteration, destruction,
or use of United States currency in advertising, may be found on the
United States Mint website's Business Awareness section:
http://www.usmint.gov/consumer/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=busguide&sub=Altered


Research strategy:

I started by looking up the statute on Cornell Law School's Legal
Information Institute website, Title 18 (Crimes and Criminal
Procedure), search term "mutilated coins":
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/

I then searched Google for the specific statute, "18 USC 331" ("USC"
being the standard abbreviation of "United States Code"):
http://www.google.com/search?q=%2218+USC+331%22

I verified the results through a subscription service, Westlaw, using
the United States Code library (This is a paid site. You can purchase
a subscription, or access its databases on a fee per search basis):
http://www.westlaw.com/