A small liberal arts college in Maryland has shut down in response to a student returning home to Pennsylvania and picking up a gun, even though the student is still believed to be in Pennsylvania, and authorities have not disclosed any sign of a threat.

A gun threat on campus early on Monday closed Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, though the school said that a student who had reportedly returned to his home in Pennsylvania to retrieve a gun was not believed to have returned to campus.

Tweets and a message on the school’s website advised sheltering in place, and faculty and staff were advised not to report to campus, with classes suspended until further notice. People were advised to wait to hear from officials, school tweets said.

College officials were notified early Monday by parents of sophomore Jacob Marberger that the student had returned home and retrieved a firearm, the college said in a statement posted on Twitter. The student was believed to still be in Pennsylvania, it said.

The parents have not been able to reach Marberger and do not know his location or where he is headed, the statement said.

“Due to an abundance of caution the college has decided to close campus for the time being and asks all students and staff on campus to shelter in place,” the statement said.

“Anyone off campus should stay away from campus until further notice.”

I understand that many academics tend to be anti-gun to the point of hysteria, and that administrators feel intense pressure to keep their students as safe as possible, but shutting down the entire campus when the student isn’t even thought to be in the state seems over-cautious Chicken Little-ism turned up to eleven.