May 10, 2023 by Francisca Schmalz (‘24)
It’s no secret the United States has a major divide on gun control–one going back to 1963 when the topic of gun control became prevalent after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Now almost 60 years later, it’s still being discussed. While the conversation about gun control has evolved over time, within recent years it’s become repetitive. When a major mass shooting occurs the news cycle clogs up as both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party (GOP) publicly react. However, this isn’t a left versus the right topic. This is a discussion over the lives of American citizens, and more importantly, the youth of America.
Recently two young Americans have been severely wounded or killed due to “door-knock” shootings. Ralph Yarl is a black sixteen-year-old who fell victim to this type of gun violence in Kansas City. On Thursday, April 13, Yarl’s parents asked him to go pick up his twin brothers from their friend’s house. His parents told him to go to 1100 NE 115th Terrace, and Yarl accidentally went up to 1100 NE 115th Street, only one street over. He went up to the house and stood on the porch. The owner of the house Andrew D. Lester (84 years old.) allegedly opened the door, keeping the glass door shut and shot Yarl in the forehead and right arm through the glass door. The prosecutor of the case, Zachary Thompson, said Ralph did not ‘cross the threshold’ into the home, and the shots were fired through a glass door from a .32-caliber handgun. There was no indication that “any words were exchanged” before Yarl was shot.
With no warning, and under the belief he was there to pick up his brothers, Yarl was shot twice. Lester saw the young boy on his porch and without a second thought shot him twice. Let that sink in. The boy was just lost. Instead of being able to realize his mistake and leave the property, he was shot twice. Authorities and emergency services were called, and Yarl was rushed to the hospital. He underwent surgery and is expected to make full recovery. Lester ended up turning himself in, and there have been some debates over whether his age should be considered during the trial. Lester is 84 years old, which is elderly but only a little older than the President of the United States. He’s the same age as Maxine Waters, a member of the House of Representatives.
No matter if he was too old or was simply startled and reacting to a teenager on his porch, it’s clear Lester shouldn’t have been in possession of the gun if he was going to behave so reactively. No matter how the defense will sway the narrative, nothing can change the fact that an 84-year-old man shot a teen boy for standing on his porch. Lester is being charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action. Fortunately, Yarl is alive. That wasn’t the case for Kaylin Gillis.
Kaylin Gillis was a white twenty-year-old, who was fatally shot just for being lost in Hebron, NY. On the evening of April 15, Gillis was traveling in a small group with some friends, driving in two cars and a motorcycle. They were looking for another friend’s house, but accidentally drove up the wrong driveway. Realizing their mistake, the group allegedly began to descend. Neighbors report seeing the motorcycle go down the hill, but instead of seeing Gillis’s car follow ensuite, they heard a shot. This single shot was then followed by another, and police were quickly called. The car Gillis had been in was shot at twice, through the driver’s side. Gillis was on the passenger side in the front, and she was hit by the two shots fired by sixty-five-year-old Kevin Monahan. All just because they mistakenly went up his driveway.
Neighbors were quick to report that Monahan was never an easy person to deal with, which showed when authorities showed up to his house. Monahan initially refused to leave his house until he was able to get a lawyer. He was uncooperative with the investigators and refused to speak with them. While there are conflicting reports on how Gillis and friends had been driving up– withMonahan claiming they were speeding up the driveway and the friends say they had just simply driven up in a usual manner–neither case requires the use of a gun towards the vehicles. Unfortunately, Kaylin Gillis did pass away from her injuries. Monahan is being charged with second degree murder.
These aren’t the only two cases of obscene and unnecessary gun violence recently. Heather Ross, a teenager in Texas, was trying to get into a car she believed to be hers on April 13–a simple mistake you’ve probably seen multiple times. When she realized it wasn’t hers, she panicked and ran back to her friend’s car. Twenty-five-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr got out of his car and began walking towards Ross. Ross attempted to apologize through the window but was met with gunfire. She was shot in the back and leg and sent to the hospital in critical condition. To add to the list of victims, 6-year-old Kinsley White was shot alongside her father and neighbor after their basketball rolled into Robert Singletary’s yard and “upset” him. In July of 2021, two cable workers were shot after accidentally going onto a homeowner’s land.
These victims deserve justuce for the senseless and inexplicable gun violence that has permenantlyu altered or ended their lives–violence that is ruining the lives of so many young Americans. The government must get its act together and realize this a huge problem. It’s not a conservative versus liberal debate, it shouldn’t be a debate at all–the lives of young American’s shouldn’t be debated. These lawmakers and politicians shouldn’t be toying with our lives because of power and money. Every single aforementioned shooting could’ve been avoided had America realized it’s gun problem a long time ago. Maybe after Columbine, or after Sandy Hook, or after the Pulse night club, or after Las Vegas, or after Stoneman Douglas, or after Uvalde, or after Nashville, or after Ralph Yarl, or after Kaylin Gillis, or after Cleveland Texas, or after Allen Texas. In this world we’ve created, you’re not even allowed to be lost. With America’s inability to tackle gun violence, you just don’t know where or whose end of the barrel you’ll end up on.
Works Cited
Charalambous, Peter. “Police arrest man who allegedly shot 6-year-old when basketball rolled into yard.” ABC News, 21 April 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/US/6-year-parents-neighbor-shot-after-basketball-rolls/story?id=98717589. Accessed 7 May 2023.
Kristof, Nicholas. “Opinion | It Is a Delusion to Think Having a Gun in the Home Makes Us Safer.” The New York Times, 22 April 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/22/opinion/american-shootings-guns.html?searchResultPosition=3. Accessed 7 May 2023.
Root, Jay. “New Details Emerge in Deadly Upstate Shooting of Woman in Wrong Driveway.” The New York Times, 18 April 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/nyregion/kaylin-gillis-ny-shooting.html?searchResultPosition=7. Accessed 7 May 2023.
Smith, Mitch, et al. “Man Accused of Shooting Ralph Yarl Turns Himself In: What to Know.” The New York Times, 19 April 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/us/ralph-yarl-shooting-kansas-city.html. Accessed 7 May 2023.
“Texas cheerleaders shot after one says she got in wrong car.” AP News, 19 April 2023, https://apnews.com/article/texas-cheerleaders-shot-mistaken-location-4b5d0659a3768bc2a46b4756e6a5ee4a. Accessed 7 May 2023.