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A college kid that has a fake id to buy booze with is guilty of a felony. Just because something is a felony rarely means it will be prosecuted as such. I'm sure in any case that doesn't result in actual harm the charges would be heavily reduced or dropped. Making it a misdemeanor almost by virtue makes it pretty much a joke, and it's actually a very serious issue.

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On the contrary, making it a highly-punishable but rarely-punished crime opens the doors to massive and dangerous police & prosecution discretion.

Or, you know, you could just not make fake ID's.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/felony.asp

"a misdemeanor is a lesser offense, punishable by imprisonment for up to a year."

Is a year in prison a "joke"?

A legal theory that says "I trust the authorities to ignore the law when I think they should" is a terrible theory.

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