Obscure sci-fi movie: the alien father's device is mistaken for a gun, and he gets shot.
This was an obscure movie (possibly a TV special?) from my childhood that even the LLMs can't seem to find.
Date: 1980s - early 1990s.
Basic Plot: (Humanoid) alien kids (or teenagers) land on earth and get lost. They enlist the help of friendly humans to help them reunite with their parents. I believe it's two alien children, plus their small pet (which is mostly legs, and is capable of running fast enough to keep up with a car by spinning).
Specific Scene I Vividly Remember: Near the climax, the father of the missing children is trying to create a distraction, so he can rescue his kids. He uses an alien device to remotely flip switches on an electronic board of some kind (perhaps setting off fireworks). Someone finds him and draws a gun on him, telling him to "Drop your weapon!". The alien father responds by turning and saying "This isn't a weapon!", but the man shoots him in response. (I don't know what happened after that).
Sound familiar?