I totally agree with coppers responding to such BS by grabbing the little punk and making it clear to his parents that such crappola is their responsibility to control. Taking him behind the shed ...... is OK, too.
What I have a problem with is the possibility of an ambitious DA turning an idiot stunt into a photo-op: “Lookie, we are hard on crime”. Claiming you can charge him with threatening a shooting when there is no ammo, no real gun, nothing to indicate he is more than a braindead idiot? This is dangerously close to limiting (stupid) free speech.
How about the TWOT brandishing a real gun and swearing that he is gonna go to UK and kill some Russians? Are you going to pursue international terrorist charges?
Free speech includes saying stupid and threatening stuff. Even offensive. Retain some perspective, law enforcers.
“Free speech” means Congress can’t pass a law preventing you from saying it.
Free speech doesn’t mean you don’t have to face lifelong and severe consequences for saying something stupid, even once.
There’s no law against using the ‘N-word’ but do it in a lot of fields or industries and you are never working again; too bad, so sad.