Strazdas said:
So I've been reading through the responses and yours have caught my eye. You keep saying that it was just a joke, you would say something similar in a crowded place, and it shouldn't be illegal. So I ask you, what happens when someone makes the same type of remark including "lol jk" and this kid was let off? I answer, there would be an investigation. The police find some type of gun and perhaps building schematics to a school. If this kid is just released it sets a legal precedent. The fact this person said "lol jk" is enough to invalidate the threat, owning a gun is not illegal, and neither is obtaining publically available building schematics. The police could not do anything, and then the kid goes on a shooting spree. Good job. The only thing that needs to happen for the charge of "terroristic threat" to stick is that someone needs to be legitimately fearful for their, or others' lives. Being as this occurred so soon after the Sandy Hook shootings and the dark nature of the "statement" I would feel worried too.
In short we have to apply the law evenly or we can't apply the law at all.