# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/141 "2023-04-23T19:56:06Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Not really the wild west, _they_ had gun laws. Yes, _some_ towns which often had cowboys visit, would have a "leave your gun at the Sheriffs office’. However, outside of those towns there were no rules. > **[Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gun-control-old-west-180968013/)** > > Contrary to the popular imagination, bearing arms on the frontier was a heavily regulated business T_he laws of Tombstone at the time required visitors, upon entering town to disarm, either at a hotel or a lawman’s office. (Residents of many famed cattle towns, such as Dodge City, Abilene, and Deadwood, had similar restrictions.)_ Cowboys, at the end of the trail when they got paid off would get drunk and “hurrah” the town, shooting their guns in the air- and sometimes people would get shot. Thus, they were disarmed on the way in. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/142 "2023-04-23T19:59:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, _some_ towns which often had cowboys visit, would have a "leave your gun at the Sheriffs office’. However, outside of those towns there were no rules. Not only does your cite not say that. It provides examples of exactly the opposite: > The practice was started in Southern states, which were among the first to enact laws against concealed carry of guns and knives, in the early 1800s. While a few citizens challenged the bans in court, most lost. Winkler, in his book _Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America,_ points to an 1840 Alabama court that, in upholding its state ban, ruled it was a state’s right to regulate where and how a citizen could carry, and that the state constitution’s allowance of personal firearms “is not to bear arms upon all occasions and in all places.” > > Louisiana, too, upheld an early ban on concealed carry firearms. When a Kentucky court reversed its ban, the state constitution was amended to specify the Kentucky general assembly was within its rights to, in the future, regulate or prohibit concealed carry. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/143 "2023-04-23T20:01:19Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Not only does your cite not say that. It provides examples of exactly the opposite Bah! If you can’t rewrite your history, how are you ever going to develop a coherent national myth to support your current ideals? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/144 "2023-04-23T20:06:03Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why didn’t the guys who made it back from WWII with their souvenir weapons cause a wave of murders in 1995? After waiting 50 years? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/145 "2023-04-23T20:29:22Z")
I think he means after the 20-30 year olds (in 1945) are in their 70s and 80s and therefore all nervous and jumpy. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/146 "2023-04-23T20:46:28Z")
And in this particular instance, racist. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/147 "2023-04-23T20:53:01Z")
They would be 70, demented and fit the requirements listed in another post. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/148 "2023-04-23T20:54:08Z")
Dad had a pamphlet the Army gave him explaining that he should not machine gun the neighborhood when a car backfired. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/149 "2023-04-23T21:06:59Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Republicans, Fox and AM radio have been banging this drum for decades. Of course irrational fear has been normalized. More than that. Much more. Fear has been monetized. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/150 "2023-04-23T21:14:33Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I think he means after the 20-30 year olds (in 1945) are in their 70s and 80s and therefore all nervous and jumpy. But in 1995 they (a) would have not yet been conditioned to believe that every knock on the door is an attack by roving zombie punk thug hordes and (b) trophy guns spent the prior 40 years in a box somewhere in the attic or mounted above the mantelpiece and would be of dubious effectiveness. The Army must have put more usable WW2 issue weapons out in the street in the 1960s when they surplussed out the f—load of M1 carbines they still had in the warehouse. Plus (c) as actual veterans who managed to readapt and live long lives in peace, they mostly did not come back looking to wage war at home (they read the handout **carnivorousplant** ’s dad was issued and took it seriously). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/151 "2023-04-23T22:20:08Z")
That this nomadic YouTuber, who does a lot of videos about true crime, did this was surprising to me too, but he was in the area. TL : DR - The suspect’s house has been vandalized, and the ground-level windows have been covered. (Oops, still can’t post YouTube links, but the channel’s name is Lamont At Large.) ---
**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 23, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/152 "2023-04-23T22:20:56Z")
They also drank and smoked a lot more and thus were more likely to die before hitting that age. ---
**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 23, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/153 "2023-04-23T23:59:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > (Oops, still can’t post YouTube links, but the channel’s name is Lamont At Large.) Sure you can. You can’t post them so we can see them directly here inside the thread, but just post the whole link inline with your words and we’ll have to click it to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/154 "2023-04-24T00:10:23Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > (Oops, still can’t post YouTube links, but the channel’s name is Lamont At Large.) Is the link? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNZH83iUhZ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNZH83iUhZ8) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/155 "2023-04-24T00:57:03Z")
That’s it! TYVM. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/156 "2023-04-24T02:16:49Z")
If I feel threatened when a Republican shows up at my front door with “Vote for Trump” literature can I shoot them? ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/157 "2023-04-24T02:21:53Z")
Can you? Like, physically? Well… probably. Should you? Ehhhh… I don’t like to advocate violence. But, perhaps more to your intended point, would you get away with it? Doubtful. Republicans aren’t principled enough to acquit you, and Democrats, even those sympathetic to your cause, are probably _too_ principle to acquit you. The fascists really do have us in a bind. The second amendment equivalent to the paradox of tolerance, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/158 "2023-04-24T02:53:33Z")
Seems to me just driving across the Florida state line should fill a man with fear what with everyone packing now. Probably smart to play it safe and just blaze your way through the state right down to the keys and take your chances with the courts. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/159 "2023-04-24T05:20:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ironic, given that the shooters are the crime wave. They create their own crime wave, so they cam complain about the crime wave. These people are jeniuses. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/160 "2023-04-24T11:25:57Z")
“I beg the mercy of the court, as I am recently an orphan.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803.md?page=9)