It’s been just one week since the incident in Frederiksen Court that resulted in three ISU Alerts — one even describing four people reportedly armed with a handgun and rifle — went out to the university community.

Luckily, the weapons were found to be BB guns and no one was harmed during the incident. It’s chilling, however, to think of how much worse the situation could have become.

As per pictures released by the Iowa State police department, the guns recovered did not have regulation orange tips. Without the bright-colored tips at the end of the barrels, officers could have easily mistaken the BB guns for real firearms — and the consequences for the young men involved in the incident could have certainly been much worse.

There are student organizations who provide safe and monitored environments off-campus to use BB and airsoft guns. However, the guns themselves are not allowed on campus, according to Iowa State policy. It is absolutely imperative to be careful especially in the current climate. Don’t do anything that could cause someone to mistake your hobby for something much more deadly.

Unfortunately, even people following every guideline and requirement are sometimes met with unnecessary force. The story of Daniel Shaver is one particularly tragic example.

Shaver was shot and killed by police responding to a report that a rifle was seen in his hotel window. The rifle in question was found to be a pellet gun that he utilized frequently as part of his job.

The news is filled of stories like Shaver’s, where police — for whatever reason — misused their powers with terrible consequences.

However, we don’t hear the stories about events like the Frederiksen Court incident. We don’t hear about the stories where police had a measured response, gathered as much information as possible before a confrontation and were able to diffuse a tense situation without bodily harm to anyone.

Iowa State police deserves commendation for the way they handled this situation, and we should hear more about incidents that were resolved in a professional manner.