# The Shooting of Ralph Yarl in Kansas City (he knocked on the wrong door) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 17, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803 "2023-04-17T16:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/101 "2023-04-20T13:25:04Z")
The thing I personally find frightening about these three cases is that they are very random and very banal, to the extent that if you extend the logic, you don’t have to go too far to get things like this (fictitious): “…a young woman accidentally bumped into a car while walking through a crowded parking lot and, as a result, was shot five times…” ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/102 "2023-04-20T13:29:13Z")
i live in a large city, doors are locked. if i am in a car, the door is locked. it is an automatic thing. i did get ribbed about it when i went to college in nebraska. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/103 "2023-04-20T13:31:26Z")
Returning to the topic of the thread, a kid getting shot by an elderly man for no good cause, this brings to mind an interesting and scary idea. Some factors: 1. There are a lot of scared people with guns, and more are being actively recruited every day by the usual suspects. Because fear & paranoia sells. 2. Older people _tend_ to be more fearful and more paranoid than are younger people. This is a completely natural response to aging and creeping infirmity both mental and physical. Some is legit, but often it’s overblown in comparison to their actual degree of increased vulnerability and the actual ambient threat out there. 3. Older people _tend_ to become more politically conservative as they age, especially once they’re past, say, 75. Curmudgeonhood is a comfortable spot. As are rose-tinted rearview mirrors. Again this is quite natural, inevitable even. 4. Older people _tend_ towards creeping senility. Especially among the very old. Putting all these factors together, and recognizing that they are mutually reinforcing into a nasty feedback loop, are we going to be seeing a generation of heavily armed scared-shitless but not fully competent old folks? Is this guy the harbinger of a coming plague of wrinkly gray ambush assassins just awaiting a wayward doorbell ring or driveway turnaround? In addition to having to have awkward conversations with our parents about giving up their car keys, are we also going to need to start asking about when it’s time to take away their ammunition? And will the people who most need to be protected from their own growing lack of good sense around deadly weapons have the kind of familial support to make doing the right thing thinkable, much less doable? We live in a very weird time in a very weird place. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/104 "2023-04-20T13:35:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > We live in a very weird time in a very weird place. - Just wait until time travel is invented. It got weirder. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/105 "2023-04-20T13:37:01Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And that is the problem. You have no clue he’s not about to say, “Give me the keys mother fucker!” and pull out **his** gun or knife. How fast can you get your gun out because if you wait to see a weapon you’re dead. Seriously, is this a joke? I honestly can’t think of anyone thinking this way (up here in Canada, anyway) unless I’m knowingly in the worst part of town, in which case I’d be checking the locks regularly anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/106 "2023-04-20T13:44:38Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But if they were a teenage girl that then quickly got out again and got into another similar-looking car (or even not similar-looking, really), I might still be saying wtf. But I’m inclined to think that I wouldn’t then get out, walk over to them and start shooting. Because that would be insane. That’s the thing: Even if these girls were part of some Nefarious Cheerleader Carjacker Squad, the fact that she immediately bolted when she saw him there meant _he’d no longer be under a threat from her_. You’re not allowed to track down and kill someone just because they _tried_ to commit a crime, but changed their mind at the last second. Any ‘reasonable’ threat he might have felt at the moment she opened the car door was no longer reasonable after she had retreated. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/107 "2023-04-20T13:44:51Z")
Just saying, if I was to do a carjacking, I’d already have my knife or gun out, rather than wait until the occupant has a chance to pull theirs. At that point, if you try to draw your weapon, you are dead. And if you shoot someone who gets into your car and doesn’t have a gun or knife out, then you just killed an innocent person for making a mistake. On the plus side, since they are dead, you can make up whatever story you want, and plant a weapon on them. That way, it goes into PGNOTD thread and the story gets used as one of defensive gun use. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/108 "2023-04-20T13:50:52Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > > [@Odesio](#): > > > > just hanging out with his door unlocked is odd to mind. > > I don’t think I have ever sat around my house with the door locked. It’s probably not locked now, and it’s 1030 at night. I’ll lock it when I go to bed. Same. My cat likes to go outside and play. When she does, not only do I not lock my door, I leave it ajar for the hour or 2 that she’s out. Last night, that meant leaving the door open from about 8 - 9:30 at night. In fact, at one point years ago I was living with my mom and her sister (my aunt), who was staying with us while she went through a divorce, would always lock the doors whenever she went inside - for “safety”. I made a point of saying that, statistically, most people are killed by somebody they know, so it actually seems safer to keep the doors unlocked, for ease of escape. She wasn’t convinced. Nevertheless, she’s another example of a person who walked into the wrong house. She was going to a friend’s place for a party, so she showed up holding food and just walked in, loudly announcing her presence. The homeowners (who she like emphasizing were “Black people”) were dumbfounded. Fortunately, no violence was deemed necessary. I, also, once almost went into the wrong apartment. I had finished walking my dogs, and accidentally got off on the wrong floor of the building. As was typical, I dropped their leashes and they ran to the door where our apartment would have been. (Ironically, right before I opened the door I remember noticing a “new” doormat at the neighbor’s door). I opened it (it was unlocked) and they went in. I took one step before realizing this was NOT my place. Fortunately, the pups ran back out when I called them, and I didn’t encounter anybody inside. I didn’t ever realize how close to death I might have been. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/109 "2023-04-20T13:51:48Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > And then there was the story of Botham Jean … shot dead while eating ice cream and sitting on _his_ sofa, in _his_ apartment, when an overly tired Dallas Police Department patrol officer walked into _his_ apartment by mistake and … saw a man of color in “her” apartment: > > She was on the wrong floor of their apartment building. That’s the one case that really highlights how absurd the gun culture in the US has become. Had he had a weapon available, under these laws, it would have been perfectly legal for _him_ to shoot _her_. An accident creates a situation in which a lot of people would argue that both people are legally allowed to shoot the other. Who is “right” and who is “wrong” comes down to who is quickest on the draw. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/110 "2023-04-20T13:57:53Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Putting all these factors together, and recognizing that they are mutually reinforcing into a nasty feedback loop, are we going to be seeing a generation of heavily armed scared-shitless but not fully competent old folks? “Why did you start shooting?” “I saw an old guy and was reasonably in fear of my life!” “Case dismissed.” ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/111 "2023-04-20T15:03:57Z")
Old people shooting unarmed teens is going to lead us straight into _Logan’s Run_. See you at Carousel. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/112 "2023-04-20T15:08:40Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Who is “right” and who is “wrong” comes down to who is quickest on the draw. It’s worth remembering that there’s a large overlap between the people who grew up watching Westerns on TV and in movies and the elder statesmen and elder whackos who seem to truly believe in the myth of the Good Guy with a Gun, or at least to legislate as if they did. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/113 "2023-04-20T16:04:03Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > > > You can say that about every interaction you have with everyone. > > I think there is a higher probability of this if a stranger gets into my car with me without permission. Or are you saying people need to be beaten, stabbed or shot before they can react to a carjacking? Yes, i am totally comfortable saying you are wrong to attack another person who has not yet threatened you. And “opening my car door” does not rise to the level of threat that justifies deadly force. Neither does “opening the door to my house”. If you are afraid someone might do one of those, i humbly suggest you use this nifty, non-fatal technology known as a “lock”. If you leave your door unlocked, i believe you are accepting the risk a stranger might open it. Fwiw, my house door is unlocked right now. I’m home, my husband is home, my adult daughter is home, and i think we are all safe enough. And if some poor soul mistakes my address with the address where a party is taking place, and opens the door, we will politely tell them they are at the wrong address. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/114 "2023-04-20T16:08:25Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Who is “right” and who is “wrong” comes down to who is quickest on the draw. These clowns are always talking about “the good ol’ days.” Who knew the good ol’ days they were talking about was the wild west. Fuck the NRA. They’re responsible for all of this. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/115 "2023-04-20T16:14:50Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Who knew the good ol’ days they were talking about was the wild west. Not really the wild west, _they_ had gun laws. > **[American gun culture is based on frontier mythology – but ignores how common...](https://theconversation.com/american-gun-culture-is-based-on-frontier-mythology-but-ignores-how-common-gun-restrictions-were-in-the-old-west-184932)** > > A scholar of gun culture looks at the roots of Americans’ love affair with firearms – and their willingness to accept gun violence as a price of freedom. They yearn for a _fictional_ past, one that never existed outside of Buffalo Bill shows and westerns. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/116 "2023-04-20T17:00:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > You can make things foolproof against yourself. But not against other fools; there you’re outnumbered and outgunned. 😁 Interesting choice of words, given the thread’s topic … ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/117 "2023-04-20T17:58:05Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That is the problem with half of America imbibing paranoid fantasy all day long. It totally alters their perception of reality to be far more hazardous than it really is In this vein, the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee visited Manhattan yesterday, pretending to investigate and highlight the many dangers of that evil cesspool — when in fact their own districts (e.g., Columbus, Ohio) have higher crime rates for most categories — often, much higher crime rates — than New York City does, these days. So, they’re not only afraid of being a crime victim all out of proportion to reality — their fantasies are also geographically (racially, politically, culturally…) wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/118 "2023-04-20T19:51:58Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In addition to having to have awkward conversations with our parents about giving up their car keys, are we also going to need to start asking about when it’s time to take away their ammunition? And will the people who most need to be protected from their own growing lack of good sense around deadly weapons have the kind of familial support to make doing the right thing thinkable, much less doable? My mother bought an AR-15 last year. This is a woman who had not used a firearm since Ronald Reagan was in office. When I asked why she bought it, I couldn’t get a straight answer out of her other than a vague, “Because I wanted to,” but I think she’s afraid. I don’t know if she’s afraid of Antifa, the boogey man, or something else, but I think it’s related to the Trump radicalization she’s going through over the past eight years or so. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/119 "2023-04-21T02:43:25Z")
This CONTINUES to be a problem in my area! I just saw a running motorcycle left unattended in my apartment building parking lot a few days ago. > [@Don't leave your unlocked car running and then wonder why it gets stolen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-leave-your-unlocked-car-running-and-then-wonder-why-it-gets-stolen/777980): > > :smack: We’re having a rash of this in my area, and it happened to my friend’s 30-year-old son over the weekend. :rolleyes: He said, “But I was just running in to get cigarettes!” (at 11pm in a dicey neighborhood, no less!) No matter how brief your errand is, shut off the ignition and take the keys with you. The time you use will be more than made up by the reduced inconvenience. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/120 "2023-04-21T07:12:15Z")
I don’t have a car anymore, but my daughter recently bought a new one and we were travelling to somewhere. Called into a service (gas) station to get some cash from the ATM, and coming out, I saw her new jazzy red car and jumped in the passenger side door. Oops, wasn’t her car, she was parked behind and laughing her head off! I live in Australia. The chances of me getting shot would be virtually zero. Thankfully the driver of the other car also saw the hilarity of the situation. I weep for you in the US, I really do. Your country has gone nuts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803.md?page=7)