Sometimes, real life truly is much stranger than fiction. This is especially the case wherever children and safety issues come together. One of these stories really happened. The other two were derived from the voices inside our head. Can you tell which ones real?

A)  Grumpy old man shoots 14-year-old boy for toilet-papering his house

B)  Three teens hold family at gunpoint to toilet paper their house, then leave without incident

C) Teens ordered to prison terms for toilet-papering neighborhood on Halloween night.

While you’re contemplating the correct answer, consider this very real safety fact:

Approximately more than 100 Americans die each day from gun violence, and countless more are seriously injured.

Answer:
In Solon Township, Michigan, 51-year-old Mark Kuncaitis was charged with misdemeanor reckless use of a firearm for shooting at a group of boys’ who were toilet-papering his house. Police say he used a shotgun to fire indiscriminately at five people on his property, all of whom were about 60 yards away. Thankfully, the boys’ injuries were not life threatening. Three juveniles and two young adults were also charged with trespassing in the incident.

Although what these boys were doing was wrong, such childhood shenanigans hardly warrants the death penalty. It’s just another example of how gun-toting neighbors are actually hundreds of times more dangerous to your children than any registered sex-offenders living nearby. We’ve encountered about ½ a dozen cases in the last few years where ordinary citizens have used their guns in response to youth T.P.ing a house in the neighborhood.