NBC 11 News is reporting that three schools in Colorado were locked down for over an hour due to a report of a stolen gun in the area. A police spokesperson said they received a report of a stolen gun this morning by a female resident in the area. This report caused police to initiate a lockdown of three area schools for over an hour.

Officers initiated a small scale a search for the suspect. According to NBC 11, Officers weren’t able to find the suspect, but he is described as a white male with long hair and missing front teeth, wearing a hoodie and jeans.

The report does not mention any known direct or indirect threat to schools. Assuming this was a case of simple burglary and/or theft did authorities overreact in shutting down area schools or were they simple taking prudent safety measures?

School officials across the nation have come under criticism recently for overreacting to anything remotely having to do with guns. In some cases very young students have been suspended and/or expelled for activities as harmless as possessing a piece of paper in the shape of a gun, chewing breakfast pastries into the shape of a gun, or “holding a pencil like a gun.”