JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville mother who police said waved a gun at children at a school bus stop was arrested.

Police said that what 40-year-old Johnna Briggs did earlier this week is one of the most irresponsible things a parent could possibly do, WJXT-TV reported.

"Totally irresponsible and totally against the law. You've got a deranged-acting mother toting a gun," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson. "The most irresponsible thing that could have been done is what she did."

Authorities said the incident took place at a school bus stop on the Westside.

According to the police report, Briggs brought a gun with her when she met her son at the bus stop.

The report states Briggs pointed the gun at other students getting off the bus and said, "Does anyone have something to say?" and "You can all get some of this."

Briggs' son was repeatedly being bullied on the school bus and that she wanted to put a stop to the bullying, according to police.

"The thought of going after children with a gun would not cross my mind; she should not have done what she did," said the father of another child who rides the school bus.

The father, who asked that his identity not be revealed because he fears retaliation against his son, said the situation at the bus stop upset him so much that he went to the school and met with the principal about the problem.

He said all that has happened since the incident is that the school sent a note home with students.

"I think the big problem is bullying, and what this started out as was simple middle-school teasing," the father said.

However, the teasing has turned into a very real police investigation.

"There is not a reason good enough that you can justify carrying a gun and pulling it out on these school kids," Jefferson said.

Briggs is charged with improper exhibition of a firearm or danger weapon -- a misdemeanor.