Max Cont'
I don't think there NEEDS to be a 'sense of proportion' in these cases. Aviation is a bloody serious buisiness and anyone who can't except that should p*** off. Even if they do directly pay the wages. If anyone can't see that to make a joke of the "I've got a gun/bomb" nature isn't going to seriously upset everyone concerned then they're a compete idiot. Who needs it?
Incidently, when I was out in Melbourne, Florida, at the beginning of this year, when I got to the airport there was a DC-9 or MD80 of Spirit Airlines sitting on the end of the runway with all the doors open (no slides) and a lot of emergency and airport police around it. Turned out that during the taxi one of the pax said to his neibour "I've got a bomb in my bag." Delayed the aircraft by about two hours. I bet the other pax and the crew (and anyone else effected) didn't have much sense of proportion left afterwards.