Two youths were responsible for the locking down of Bower Mall in Red Deer Saturday night.
RCMP said they received two separate reports of a person with a handgun at the mall around 7:30 p.m.
The mall was locked down when Mounties arrived, with the public taking shelter in stores.
Two youths were found and searched, and RCMP found a knife with a handle resembling a handgun.
The youths were arrested, and the lockdown was ended.