People are right to be alarmed. Too many kids get their hands on the real thing. But even for this case, I'm glad the kid got at least that little bit of counseling. Realistic-looking pellet and BB guns have been used to threaten, rob, and even kill people. Here are 65 examples, just from this year, and just that involve children: http://kidshootings.blogspot.com/search/label/Pellet%20and%20BB%20Guns