Nobody wants unauthorized people bringing guns into schools, and schools are stepping up to make sure that doesn’t happen. But one elementary school in Michigan has taken the concept to new heights. (Or perhaps that should be depths.) It seems that we shouldn’t allow toy soldiers on school property either because, you know… they have guns.

A Michigan elementary school is defending its decision to confiscate a third-graders batch of homemade cupcakes because the birthday treats were decorated with plastic green Army soldiers.

Casey Fountain told Fox News that the principal of his son’s elementary school called the cupcakes “insensitive” — in light of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

“It disgusted me,” he said. “It’s vile they lump true American heroes with psychopathic killers.”

Even after this incident went public, the principal decided not to back down. Reasoning such as this is truly stunning indeed.

Principal Susan Wright released a statement to local media defending the decision.

“These are toys that were commonplace in the past,” she wrote. “However, some parents prohibit all guns as toys. In light of that difference, the school offered to replace the soldiers with another item and the soldiers were returned home with the student.”

“Living in a democratic society entails respect for opposing opinions,” she stated. “In the climate of recent events in schools we walk a delicate balance in teaching non-violence in our buildings and trying to ensure a safe, peaceful atmosphere.”

Yes, toy soilders – both new ones and these older, WW2 style models – are frequently depicted with guns. They are also the good guys. Shall we also ban images of police officers from school? Is there some point where the weight of stories such as this will bring enough attention to this wave of hysteria that the public calls for it to stop? As Eric Owens at the Daily Caller illustrates, this is hardly a unique incident.

At D. Newlin Fell School in Philadelphia, school officials reportedly yelled at a student and then searched her in front of her class after she was found with a paper gun her grandfather had made for her. (RELATED: Paper gun causes panic)

In rural Pennsylvania, a kindergarten girl was suspended for making a “terroristic threat” after she told another girl that she planned to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty toy gun that bombards targets with soapy bubbles.

At Roscoe R. Nix Elementary School in Maryland, a six-year-old boy was suspended for making the universal kid sign for a gun, pointing at another student and saying “pow.” That boy’s suspension was later lifted and his name cleared.

He’s got plenty more of them at the link, so click on through and check out all of the examples. This would almost be funny if it weren’t so tragic, particularly for a generation of kids who are now being traumatized a second time as the responsible adults in their lives continue to freak out and overreact. Sadly, I doubt we’ve heard the last of it by a long shot.