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Grand Rapids police: Paintball wars have gone too far

The department says there have been 17 reported paintball wars since Saturday. People are shooting moving cars, houses or each other.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Police are urging residents not mess around with paintball guns.

The department says there have been 17 reported paintball wars since Saturday, April 28. People are shooting moving cars, houses and each other.

In addition to injuring one another or causing a car accident, paintball guns can be easily mistaken for real guns police say.

Police believe that the paintball shootings stem from the social-media postings of influential hip-hop artists — in particular Atlanta rapper 21 Savage — who called for people to put down real guns and pick up paintball guns instead.

Police say if you shoot someone with one, it could get you a 93 day misdemeanor. There has also been an uptick of reported paintball shootings on the East Side of the state, according to our media partners at the Detroit Free Press.

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