RADLEY BALKO: Mass shooting hysteria and the death of John Crawford. “Last month, the California State University San Marcos campus was put on lockdown and a SWAT team was sent in after someone mistook a staff member carrying an umbrella for a mass shooter. Umbrellas have caused similar lockdowns in Issaquah, Wash.; Fort Washington, Pa.; and Akron, Ohio.We’ve seen other recent lockdowns after cellphones (again here, here, and here), camera tripods (again here), a silver watch, and a folded-up apron were all mistaken for guns; an arm cut was mistaken for a bullet wound; an exploding basketball was mistaken for a gunshot; surveyors and an unarmed jogger were mistaken for gunmen; other various ‘mistaken identity’ errors; and when someone misheard the lyrics to the theme song from ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’ (Yes, really.)”

And don’t forget the school put on lockdown because a student was wearing a “military-style” jacket.” When did authority figures become such cowering, bullying pantywaists?