It was an air hammer, not a gun. But no one seemed to want to take any chances, as evidenced by this token from a Post article on the chaos that ensued earlier this morning after shots were reported in the garage of the Rayburn House Office Building:

Meanwhile, all public schools in the District briefly went into lockdown as a result of the situation around the Capitol, a spokeswoman for the school system said. School officials wanted to err on the side of caution, she said. The schools are now open.

Err on the side of caution? We’re all about security. But we’re also about rationality. Sending the schools into mandatory lockdown over an isolated and unconfirmed event seems more a way to frighten children and parents than a way to protect them. We’d understand locking down schools in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol, but what does a school in Tenleytown gain in security from locking its students in during such an event? Not much.

Washington has to become better at balancing threats and reactions. Not everything merits the panic that this, umm, air hammering caused.