If they’d taken it out over the Aleutians, the chances of it hitting someone or anything of significance were very small.
What’s the point of having NORAD or military bases in Alaska if they’re going to be afraid to shoot something down?
The Aleutians are sparse U.S. Territory with a lot of ocean in between. There must be some kind of right of innocent passage (as in the Taiwan Strait). It does not appear to be much of a threat. It may just be a probe to see how we react, or as the Chinese say, an innocent scientific/meteorological balloon gone astray. I would keep my powder dry and watch developments. I worked with a guy who in a prior life as an Air Force officer used to chase U.S. balloons that landed in the U.S. He and a team with a truck would pull up to a farm, get the farmer to sign a release, and cart the balloon off. IIR, the farmer “owned” the balloon, and could make a claim for damages. Generally, he would be happy to have it taken away.
The balloon could be used by the Chinese to chart the jet stream over North America. You never know.