She pointed out that her daughter was dressed in stretchy tights and clothing with no pockets. But one of the officers repeatedly told Brademeyer that she’d seen guns together with teddy bears. “She mentioned the word ‘gun’ over and over again.”

Brademeyer said her own actions probably didn’t help the situation.

“I absolutely lost my temper the moment when they said, and I quote, ‘The suspect is not cooperating.’ I called one of them an idiot.”

Brademeyer’s note sat around on Facebook for several days, getting a “share” here, a comment there. Then, the Consumerist – a website that partners with Consumer Reports, picked up on her Facebook note Monday. That report was followed up Tuesday by the Daily Mail in England, whose outraged story is listed as one of the most viewed on its website:

“Weeping four-year-old girl accused of carrying a GUN by TSA officers after she hugged her grandmother while passing through security.”